


Whispers of the unknown

by NoOnes_Trash



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Brothers, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Ghosts, Guilt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Link (Legend of Zelda) Uses Sign Language, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), They all have angst, Wild (Linked Universe)-centric, Wild Whump, champtions died but still remain, i cant write, minor execution, well somewhat aphasia but details details
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 50,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoOnes_Trash/pseuds/NoOnes_Trash
Summary: He should be free now. His journey was finished. So why must the goddesses ruin his plans and force him on another odd journey with eight other previous incarnations?
Relationships: Daruk & Link & Mipha & Revali & Urbosa (Legend of Zelda), Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Sky & Wind (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Wild (Linked Universe), Legend & Warriors (Linked Universe), Sky & Wild (Linked Universe), Sky & Wind (Linked Universe), Time & Twilight (Linked Universe), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Comments: 84
Kudos: 460





	1. Premonition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || They know his failures, sing it like a prayer and remind him of his faults, of how he should be dead, how he plunged the world they knew into ruin. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hecc  
> Uh  
> Hi?
> 
> I have too many drafts of the LU and well I got bored and decided that this angst shit show was the chosen one. Very sorry to anyone who reads this because I can't write obviously,,, Also anyone from the LU Discord, you have my heart, y'all are so sweet and I don't even talk much but hecc,,, such kindness woahhh, hhh what am I saying, no one's gonna read this
> 
> Ah yeah this was inspired by Jojo's Linked Universe obviously :3

_Guilt,_

It was an ugly accessory, seen only by the eyes of the bearer. It chewed at his mentality greedily, weaving itself through his veins and plunging into his blood with ease.

_Failure._

Refusing to let him breath for a moment, it crushed his lungs, stomping violently against his ribs and burrowing deep within his bones.

_Selfish.._

There was no escaping it anymore. 

He'd failed the people too many times, took away their hero and replaced it with a mere doll. 

He doesn't know how to fix it, he got rid of Ganon after 100 years of sleep and yet the malice continued to lurk, having never left. The world of Hyrule was a catastrophe not even the goddesses could save. 

And it was all Wild's fault.

He knows it, deep down within the pits of his stomach, within the dark cell of his mind and through the eyes of the people. They know his failures, sing it like a prayer and remind him of his faults, of how he should be dead, how he plunged the world they knew into ruin.

He was no hero, he would never be a hero, he was undeserving of the title.

It left him _hollow_. _Guilty_. _Burdened_. 

He helped as much as he could to fix his mistakes, but a life of comfort wasn't what he was created for.

But he couldn't remain idle, not when monsters continued to prey on the people of Hyrule.

There's no comfort when the hero couldn't save their world, couldn't return it to its previous state, couldn't save the people. 

_Pathetic..._

Regardless, he continued to slay the creatures lurking, ridding the world of their repulsive nature. The people sent their prayers to the goddesses, praised him with their cruel songs, praised him with their false admiration.

And honestly, he wished for a time where he could be free from their judgement, wished to be beyond their time, wished to be free.

And more than anything, 

He wished for 

A lonesome death.

But Hylia refused him time and time again, condemning him to a punishment of life. Forcing him to be haunted by ghosts of the past, friends of old and their clutch to life. But in a way, he deserved it, to suffer in his failures, in his guilt, in his mistakes. 

It was fine, as long as the others didn't notice. As long as no one mentioned his dawdling mentality. 

Perhaps he was condemned to a fate of unjust failure in disguise of heroic actions. Maybe the cruel reasoning for his dragged on life was that his quest was incomplete. 

He doesn't know why the goddesses would ever rely on him again, he was a _failure_. It made less sense as Zelda would tell him of her unease. An unease that burrowed deep within her gut, curling and coiling around her organs and tainting them with merciless fear. 

She'd tell him of her dream-like premonitions, clinging to him as though she didn't believe his existence, crying her woes.

She'd explain the shrouds of darkness, clinging to nine figures from eons ago. Purple swirls of despair consuming them, dragging them from families and forcing them into times unknown to them. And for what? She never said, biting her tongue and crying, clinging to him in her weakest moments.

It became a reoccurring dream, something that put her on edge, lurking in her mind like a parasite.

He didn't know how to help her, wasn't made to help with words, but rather action. He was born for the sole purpose of fighting. It was carved into his soul, the action easier than breathing, than talking, than existing. He wasn't made for idle life, pointless conversations, and living.

What use was a hero unable to fight? What use was his existence if everything he knew was snatched away again?

...

He was nothing.

_Nothing, nothing, nothing._

...

With overwhelming thoughts of self-deprication, he let his emotional turmoil spill into his sword, cutting through the air and piercing the disgusting bokoblin.

That was all he was good for, and even then, he was a _failure_.

He didn't have anything else other than survival instinct. He doesn't think he could ever live a dormant life.

Hell...

_He doesn't even want to live..._

...

..

Sighing, he plunged the sword into one last gnarly creature, any remorse for it gone at the idea of it terrorizing the villagers. 

Disgusting.

_But never quite as disgusting as he was..._

...


	2. A time beyond them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || Four nodded. "We're also heroes from our time." ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah hecc  
> Genuinely surprised anyone read this,,  
> Sorry for any mistakes and my terrible writing,,

Deviant swirls of an unknown dark magic appeared, grumbling and groaning with all intent of snatching them from comfort. Eight boys, ranging from short to tall, paused in their conversation, eyes narrowed. "So we're finally moving somewhere else after three weeks? Do we really have to go through it?" One of the boys asked, arms crossed and turning his head away from the darkness tugging at his mind.

"The people might be in danger." Another piped up, voice gravely and old, worn with time. "You know we can't leave them helpless, especially during this madness."

The other scoffed, shaking his head. "Haven't we helped enough?"

"Come on Legend, maybe we can find somewhere to rest when we get there." Someone else spoke up, nudging the defiant boy with his elbow. He bore a smile, a noticeable blue cape wrapped snug around him, draping down his back with careless defeat.

Legend huffed, slouching and grumbling under his breath.

Old and worn, the one bearing a deep scar across his eye gave a smile to the group, stepping forwards. "Well then, let's hope for a good landing." He chuckled at the sound of groaning, motioning for another boy, his protégé, to step forwards.

Humming in confusion, the protégé moved closer, albeit hesitant. "What's wrong Time?"

"I don't trust you enough to go last, so you're going first." The old man gave a sly grin, not listening to the other's cry of betrayal, and instead shoving him forwards with just enough force to make him stumble through the portal.

The others behind him let out a laugh, not really caring to muffle their obvious amusement. "That was so mean..." A soft voice spoke through his quiet chuckles, giving a smile.

"Yeah but Twi wouldn't go through it otherwise." A voice, a breathy echo, chided, hand on his colourful tunic-covered hip.

"Yeah! For a hero, he sure is a coward when it comes to magic!" A childish voice laughed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Time chuckled, clearing his throat for their attention. "We've spent enough time here, we should get moving." He informed, motioning to the portal waiting idly.

With childish glee, a boy with a light blue tunic bounced towards the portal. "Suckers!" He yelled, leaping through with a grin.

"Oh you little brat!" Legend yelled, noticing the missing pouch from his hip. Running through, his voice distorted. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Wrapped in a dark green tunic, fluffy brown locks fluttered. "I'm next then." His voice soft and light, faded upon entry.

Time bore a fond smile, gaze shifting to the other two. They shared a glance, both giving a sigh. Stepping up, his blue cape danced violently with the winds, engulfed in darkness as he disappeared. "See you there Time."

"I'm sure pup is annoyed at my little stunt, don't you think?" Time asked the final person, lips quirked up.

"Yeah but he'll probably just pout for a bit."

Time chuckled, guiding the both of them inside with one last glance at their surroundings. A sad smile coated his lips, watching the Hyrule contort into momentary darkness.

Eight pairs of eyes looked around the new area, finding themselves warped on a path. "Anyone recognize it?" Legend asked, gaze lingering on the electrifying blue tower in the distance.

The others shook their heads, a sigh leaving some of their lips. "So we're still not home yet..." The boy with a soft voice sighed sadly, fumbling with the hem of his white cape.

Twi gave him a smile, resting his hand on the other's shoulder. "You'll get home, don't worry Sky." He reassured, though his words seemed less convinced. They all knew the chances of returning was slim, despairingly so. They had families and friends they'd been forced to leave behind, a burden of protecting other Hyrule's piling onto the stress of saving their own.

What a mess.

Time shook his head, clearing his longing thoughts. "We should find a place to camp."

"Wait!" The startlingly sudden voice of the blue caped boy caught their attention, a wry grin to his lips. "There's a traveler, maybe we can find a place to stay."

Legend beamed, nodding his head desperately. "I agree with pretty boy here, we should get an actual bed."

Narrowing his eyes on Legend, Time gave a sigh. "Alright, we'll ask the traveler."

The group gave a few whoops, more than happy with the idea of sleeping somewhere a little more safe and comfortable for once.

The pretty boy draped in a cape took charge, leading them towards the traveler riding a horse, waving down her attention. Startling at the group of eight, the woman gave them a smile, hopping down from the perch upon the horse. "What can I do for you? Are you travelling?" She asked, holding the reigns of her horse tightly.

Nodding his head, he gave a charming smile, one that'd make most women swoon. "We've come from somewhere far and we're looking for somewhere to stay. Is there anywhere around here?"

Giving an understanding nod, she motioned down the trail with a swift flutter of her hand. "Yeah, right down there straight ahead is a village. I'd lead you there but I'm about to go off course." She gave a grin, tapping against the bag on her back weighing her down. "Gonna make some trade, you know? You interested in buying anything?"

"Apologies, but we're... Short on money, maybe another time."

"Awh shame, I'd of thought a pretty one would have something. Well I wont dawdle, stay safe!" She called out, mounting her horse and snapping the reigns with a flick of her wrist, disappearing out of sight.

Legend gave a grin, arm wrapping around the other's shoulders. "I guess our pretty boy's charm has some use after all." He teased, a glint of mischief to his blues.

"I have a name, and it's Warriors. Although, one of us has to be pretty, or we'd look like you and your mess of pink hair." He snarked back, sly and cunning.

Legend huffed. "My hair is wonderful." He twirled the lonesome lock of pink around his finger. "And I look much better than you!" He chided, releasing Warriors from his hold and instead deciding to move down the path with a grin.

Giving an indignant grunt, Warriors caught up, whacking the boy upside his head. Legend spluttered, stumbling over his feet and giving a cold glare. "What was that for?!"

Humming to himself, Warriors gave a half-hearted shrug. "I wanted to see if I could wake up some braincells in that head of yours. Obviously your just brain dead and apparently blind if you think you look better than me."

Huffing, they continued squabbling down the path, much to the amusement of the group behind them. Sticking his foot out, Warriors tripped ungracefully, slamming into the path of wet grounds. Legend let out a bark of laughter, nudging the other with his foot. "Not so pretty now are you, pretty boy?" He teased.

Grasping Legend's ankle, he was pulled the soaked path, grains sticking to his clothes disgustingly. Yelping, Legend looked back at the group, eyes landing on Time. "Did you see that? He pulled me down with him! Tell him off! Yell at him!" He complained childishly, pointing wildly at the other boy who began to sit up after face-planting.

Gasping in shock, he wiped away the mess on his face, pointing back at the childish hero. "You insulted me and tripped me!"

"Lies!" Legend accused, sticking his tongue out.

"You're the liar!"

"I'd never lie!"

"You're lying now!"

"I am not!"

"You are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!!"

"Are too!!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am-"

"Alright, alright." Two hands came down on their shoulders, silencing them. "As much as I love you both, your bickering is much too loud for an old man like myself. Besides, I'm better looking than all of you." Time's permanently shut eye twitched to act as a teasing wink.

Sharing a look, the two boys gave a non-comital hum, dusting themselves off. "Sure."

Twilight gave a hum, motioning towards the village they stood before. "Well we're here now, so let's try to find an inn to stay at."

"Oh travelers!" A voice boomed, snatching their attention. "Yes, yes, you all look just like travelers! We don't get many staying the night, but I'm guessing you are?" The man appeared, beckoning them closer into the village.

Stepping forwards, Warriors gave a small smile. "We're looking for an inn, or somewhere to stay?"

The man grinned, motioning for them to follow. "I've never got the chance to show travelers around, what're your names? You seem like a rag-tag team of kids."

"I'm Warriors." The pretty boy introduced with a smile.

If the man thought it was odd, he gave no indication, simply giving a hum.

"I'm Wind!" The childish voice piped up happily.

Time gave a curt nod. "Time."

"Twilight." Came the quiet hum of the protege.

With fluffy dark locks, one boy seemed more hesitant to say his name. "Hyrule."

The man glanced back with a curious hum. "Parents must really like Hyrule, huh?"

"Ah yeah something like that."

Humming, the man continued leading them up the path.

Hands linked together behind his back, resting against his colourful tunic, he gave a smile. "I'm Four." His voice echoed, almost sounding like contrasting voices.

"I'm Sky, nice to meet you." The soft, pleasant voice spoke up.

Huffing, Legend gave a smile. "Legend."

The man hummed, coming to a stop. "Pleasure meeting you all! You've got some interesting names, but I wont judge. Anyways, this is the town's inn, I work just over there if you want me." He motioned towards a clothing store, nodding to them before disappearing, slipping inside his shop.

Time cleared his throat, pushing open the inn door. Eyes instantly snapped to the group, curious but welcoming. "Hello." The person behind the counter greeted curtly.

"Hi, we'd like eight beds."

"20 rupees for a regular bed, 40 rupees or a soft bed each, what would you like?" Their voice droned, dull and tired.

"Regulars." Time placed a few red rupees on the counter, the person giving a nod.

"We're required to give a wake up shout, when would you like to be woken up?"

"Morning, please."

"Alright, enjoy your night."

The group gave their thanks, shuffling over to the large amounts of beds, each of them simply easing into the mattresses. It didn't take long for the group to fall asleep, muscles relaxing from their tense postures.

It felt like heaven.

^^^

Morning came too soon, and the group were back on their feet, thanking the inn as they began to leave.

"Oh you're back!" A voice startled the group out of thought, their attention shifting to the man they met the previous day. He tumbled his way down the path towards a hooded figure, stopping short before him. "Are you staying? How was it out there?"

There came no verbal reply from the mysterious hooded figure, hands gesturing in familiar Sign Language. Wind tilted his head to get a clear view of the small gestures, humming. "Can you understand what's being said?" Legend's voice split through their silence, eyes drawn to the young boy.

"You can't?" He asked, eyes drawn to the gestures.

"I can understand a bit of it."

Giving a curt nod of his head, he filled in the blank spaces he couldn't pick up on. "He says he's leaving soon, he saw a... Lynel? And that he's going to get rid of it after eating something." The boy filled the group in, eyes shifting to the others.

"Wait, a Lynel?!" Legend asked incredulously, eyes wide and concerned.

Nodding his head in confusion, Time rested a heavy hand on the pink headed boy's shoulder. "Is there something wrong with a Lynel? Do you know what it is?"

Snapping his head to meet the gaze of the old man, Legend nodded wildly. "Yeah! It's a creature which spits fireballs and uses some insane weapons! He's an idiot for going to fight one."

Sky gave a concerned hum, gaze flickering between the two team leaders. "Should we go help him when he leaves?"

Warriors glanced back at Time, raising a brow. The older man let out a sigh. "We can follow him and step in if it gets dangerous."

The group gave a nod, their eyes shifting around the village in curiosity.

"Oh! We have some travelers, they're an odd group, but they stayed the night for once." The voice of the man piped up loudly, voice boisterous. "Seemed desperate to sleep, so I'll bet ya a rupee they've no food." Ah... It seemed the group were being called out.

The cloaked stranger gave a nod, gesturing around curiously. The man grinned, hand placed on the boy's head in an aggressively affectionate way. "They'll be near the inn, I bet. I'll take ya there, seeing as you'll be hoarded by the lot of kids runnin' around otherwise."

The group blinked momentarily, before deciding to settle down near the animals closed off in a farm, easily noticeable.

"Ah there's the travelers!" The man's voice boomed, catching attention of passerby's, most of which simply shook their head and continued with their activities. "Young travelers, how was your stay at our inn?" He asked as he weaved around the fences, coming close enough to hear the group, the mystery person trailing behind.

Hyrule blinked momentarily before giving the man a smile. "It was nice, thank you. Is something wrong?"

The man gave a grin, arm wrapping around the person's shoulders. "Glad you slept well!" The group nodded. "This guy here usually cooks for travelers who stay the night or two, so he's offering to cook before he sets off."

Giving the two a grateful smile, he glanced back at his group. "We wouldn't want to burden you." He confessed, looking back at the two. The man simply waved him off, eyes pleading for them to waste the other boy's time for just a bit. "...Thank you."

The mystery boy gave a small nod, his hood drooped low to hide his face from view. Disappearing towards the inn, the group watched the boy leave. "Sorry 'bout him, he's not a talker, but he's a fine cook I tell ya." The man spoke, leaning against the fences.

It didn't take much longer before the boy appeared once more, eying them wearily. This timid boy was going to fight a rather strong monster? "Ah! That was real quick, Kiddo."

He gave a nod, disappearing around the wall, the man quick to follow and motioning for the group of eight to join.

A table was set up outside of the inn, people stopping by to take some of the overflowing amounts of food. Meats, mushroom skewers, vegetable soup and paellas spread out across the table, much to the groups surprise. "Our little chef here feeds the village every time he stops by." The man boasted proudly, grinning widely.

"Oh wow..." One of the eight gasped quietly.

"There's.. A lot..."

"Can we eat it? Can we, can we, can we??"

"Are you sure it's alright for us to eat some of this?"

The man gave a huff of laughter. "Of course! All the merrier!"

"You're really going to eat it even though it's from a stranger? What if they've poisoned some of it?" Someone asked incredulously.

Warriors sighed, draping an arm around the speaker. "The towns people are eating it Leg, just relax a bit, alright?"

"If we die, this is on you guys." The boy huffed, taking hold of a skewer. Twirling it in his hands, he glared at the creation judgingly, almost waiting for a poison to just scream at him. Twilight chuckled at his side, taking a bite into a meaty skewer.

^^^

The group made their way to the gate, thanking the man as they left. Eyes scattered around the outside, searching for the mystery person. "I see him!" Wind exclaimed, pointing over to the person disappearing up a hill.

"Are we going to follow him or...?"

Time let out a sigh, shooing the group. "Let's go before we lose him then."

Trailing after the boy, they kept out of sight of both the Lynel and the Hylian.

In a flurry of motions, the boy leaped from his perch on a branch, an odd cloth slowing his fall. Tucking it away, he landed on the ground, bow whipped out and arrows swiftly cutting through the air, plunging deep into the creature's right eye. It wailed, searing and twitching with electrifying pain. The bow fell snug behind his back, a high tech slate being pulled out and aimed at the monster.

It froze in its cries, the electric currents paused, sparking with desperate life.

During its momentary freeze, he mounted the creature, sword instantly digging deep within its neck, twisting and turning. Springing back to life, the Lynel cried out, thrashing and bucking. 

Finally, with a powerful leap and buck, the boy rolled of its back, pulling out his shield to block the fire charging at him. Upon contact, the shield shattered, scorches flaming up his arm.

Regardless, the fire parried back at the creature, its wails splitting through the air with vigor.

Swinging its sword at the boy, he dodged with a leap, much to its annoyance.

Quick to freeze the creature mid stride, an arrow wedged itself tightly in its left socket, crackling and burning.

The group watched with mild fascination and obvious horror.

Mounting the creature once again, a sword pierced through its back, breaking upon hitting the bone. It wailed and screamed, violently thrashing and swinging its weapon around madly.

The boy didn't budge.

Keeping his hold on the Lynel, he dug an arrow into its open wound, the poor creature twitching. A heavy sword sliced at its neck, the creature spluttering and screaming. Leaping off, he tucked away his sword, looking back at the creature.

Watching it fall in a heap on the ground, the boy let a new sword materialize in his hand from the slate. Crouching close to the create, he wedged its horns off, dropping them into the slate with ease. His sword slashed through its stomach, taking the guts and dropping them in his slate, before moving on to collect the rest of its remains.

The group blinked.

Legend shook his head, forcing himself out of his stupor, leaping down the hill. Perking up in alert at the sound, the stranger's head snapped towards him, sword pointing dangerously at the pinkette. Raising his arms in defense, the other boy lowered his sword slightly, taking a step back. "Are you insane?! You could've died from that!" He yelled at the mysterious boy.

He cowered back, hands trembling, grip weakening on his sword.

A heavy hand rested on Legend's shoulder, a tired sigh leaving a familiar, aged voice. "Relax, we're not going to hurt you." He spoke to the hooded figure, a kind smile to his lips.

Tucking his sword away, the boy shivered under their stares, shifting his gaze to the Lynel. He should burn the corpse before it begins to rot, attracting more creatures. "-! Are you even listening?!" Legend's voice brought the boy back to his senses, head turning towards the group once more.

Blinking, the boy gave a shake of his head. _'sorry',_ he signed.

Legend twitched in slight annoyance. Not only was he ignored, he received no verbal response. Annoying.

The boy brought out his slate once more, materializing flint and lighting it up, dropping it on the corpse. Turning back to the group, he bowed his head before taking his leave, letting the Lynel burn. Wind quickly caught up to the boy, eyes wide with childish curiosity. "Where ya going?" He asked, skipping beside the boy.

Glancing over, he motioned to the hill.

"Oh! So you're going back?"

The boy gave a nod.

"Cool! What's your name?"

Pausing momentarily, his eyes shifted to the group following behind them. "Is this a new friend, Link?" A feminine voice filled his head, a ghost of a girl dancing around in his vision. 

Shoulders slumping, he focused on Wind, signing his name _'Link' ._ Pausing, he glanced once more at the group before motioning to them. _'And you?'_

Grinning with forced innocence, the boy tilted his head. "I'm Wind!" He beamed before looking back at his group. "And they're Time, Twilight, Sky, Hyrule, Four, Warriors and Legend!" He pointed at each individual, pausing so the other could take it in.

Nodding his head, he signed his thanks. _'Nice to meet you'._

Link parted from the group momentarily, meeting up with the man lingering around. He motioned around them before giving a small nod. Departing from the village, he began to make his way up the path.

Sky stared at the blue glow of his sword curiously, a voice echoing around his head, pestering him to follow the Link. Sighing, he chased after the boy, catching his attention. "Ah wait! You said- you said your name was Link, right?" He asked, causing them all to stop.

Link gave a nod of his head, and despite not being able to see his face, his confusion was evident.

Four joined Sky's side, eyes narrowed on the boy's arm. "You're injured."

Blinking, Link's gaze followed Four's, landing on his blistering arm. 

"You should take a potion.." Four mumbled, taking a red potion from Hyrule and handing it over. Link blinked, once then twice.

' _Thank you_ ' he signed, swallowing a few drops of the potion, barely enough to help the burn. 

"You can keep it. So where are you going now?" Hyrule asked, eyes drifting around the area as the hooded boy dropped the potion into his slate.

Link nodded, raising his hands once more. _'There's a lot of monsters around, they're disrupting villages.'_ He paused momentarily before giving them a wave. _'Bye.'_

He began to leave the eight only for Time to speak up. "How about some company? We're all more than capable of helping."

Pausing, the hooded figure glanced back before shaking his head. _'Dangerous.'_

"And yet you're going to fight? Alone?"

It's all he could do, fight and fight and fight until he took his last breath. _'Yes.'_

"You're the... You're the hero, right?" Sky asked, watching the boy tense. 

_'No.'_

"You are. The... The hero, Link, who saved Hyrule."

_'I'm not them. Sorry, I need to go.'_

"No matter how much you want to hide it, we know better than anyone that you're the hero." Legend confessed, hand on hip.

Link's mouth parted, a rasp of words failing to escape his lips and leaving him confused. His eyes focused on his hands, willing them to move, begging his legs to flee. 

Four nodded. "We're also heroes from our times."

...What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hospital is boring so I'm posting another chapter of this.  
> I'm deciding whether Tuesday would be a good day to put my schedule as or Friday. I'm leaning more towards Tuesday but I'll figure it out  
> Thank you everyone reading this and for the comments <3  
> I hope you realize that while youre reading this story, your favourite Link's are going to regret being alive because I just adore hurting my babies :3


	3. A journey unfit for a failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || Giving a sigh, she wrapped her arms around him once more. "Keep him safe, alright?" She mumbled to the night air, eyes a hazy blur. Her wilting smile turned into a teasing grin, poking his forehead. "And don't go forgetting about us again." ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dhfged woah people are still reading this,,,  
> Thank you!!! <3  
> There's wonderful angst for everyone, and it's going to be bad in the coming chapters!  
> sorry for any mistakes,,,

He couldn't hear anything but the ringing in his ears, pounding of his heart, crashing waves of thought. Heroes don't exist. Not anymore. Not after his failure. So why are there heroes here, wanting **his** help? He was a mistake, an incompetent idiot who couldn't even make it to the fight before being incapacitated. What good could a disappointment do?

Why was he even believing them? Maybe they're just setting him up, proving to the rest of Hyrule that he wasn't their beloved hero, but rather a pathetic, waste-of-space hylian. Goddesses, he was so useless, it made him want to stab himself a billion times over. 

"We're from different timelines." Four had explained quietly, trying to grab Link's attention once more. "We have different Hyrule's, all of them in danger." He had continued, a frown to his lips, almost losing himself to a tyrranid of thoughts. "...We've been brought together... By Hylia. We guess it's to save Hyrule again, since we're the heroes of courage." 

So they were from the past? Where they had succeeded? . . . He really was a failure, huh?

_'I'm sorry but I'm no hero of courage, and I can't save Hyrule'_ He confessed finally, giving them a bow of his head before tugging down his hood further and slipping past the group. 

They refused to give up however, knowing the boy was this era's hero. Wind had done the mistake of grasping his wrist in attempt to stop the boy, watching him freeze on the spot, fear shooting up his spine like shockwaves. "Wait!" He exclaimed desperately, eyes wide with a childish but haunted glint. 

Snatching back his hand, he curled in on himself, watching them warily, almost like prey. "You don't believe us, right? I can-! I can prove it, that... That we're heroes, because.. Because I'm carrying the Master Sword, and you should be able to tell, that we're not lying, right?" Sky claimed, hand on sheath. 

Would the Master Sword even tell him, find his worth to talk to him? . . . He's not sure he wants to take that risk.

_'I can't save anyone'_

Legend glared, arms folded defensively across his chest. "Aren't you supposed to have courage?! What about the Lynel you attacked? You have the ability to save people, so why're you just running away?! We want to give up too sometimes, but who's going to protect innocent people if not us?" 

_'I can't protect anyone.'_

Time placed a heavy hand on Legend's shoulder, other hand extended to the hooded boy. "I believe in you. We believe in you and we need you. You might not see your worth, but join us, if only for a bit, watch the change you can make if you help us." He gave the boy a soft smile, encouraging him.

Ghosted arms wrapped around his shoulders, weighing the heavy guilt down further with her reminder of his failures. "You should join them. Protect Hyrule and its people." She pushed, smiling that sweet smile of hers that made his heart clench with pain of not remembering her when she thrived with life, with pain for taking her life away from her family. 

Goddess, he was such a monster.

"The others agree, maybe this will give you comfort, heal the cracks of your heart." She continued, a layer of pain to her ghosted smile.

Goddess, it hurt so much.

She removed her arms, sweeping over the land and grasping his hand in hers, steadily raising it to meet Time's outstretched one. "Just try it, for us?" She asked, the flickering forms of three others behind her. 

His eyes fell to the path, wishing he couldn't see them, couldn't hear them, couldn't be reminded of his mistakes.

Goddess, he was so selfish, why would anyone rely on him? He killed his friends, left the princess alone for 100 years, ruined Hyrule, and slept away his pain. He was so disgusting, it made his skin crawl.

But he couldn't back out of this anymore. Not with ghosted eyes watching him with pitying smiles. Not with beaming smiles of eight heroes. 

Hopefully they'll just see how much of a mess he was, how he couldn't help them, how he was a lost cause. And hopefully, they'll just leave him to rot for eternity. 

Hopefully...

^^^

The sun began to set, a faint orange pastel to the growing darkness consuming the sky. Link- or rather Wild, according to the Master Sword- was leading them through the forests to find a place to set up camp, not close enough to any villages they could reach within the night. 

He lead them to an area parted by broken stones and towering trees breathing with life, judging them. "Is this area safe?" Legend's voice piped up, suspicion in his voice. 

Letting his eyes wander over the area, Wild gave a slow nod, letting them begin to set up. Stepping away, he stood beside Hyrule, catching the boy's attention. _'I'm going to look around.'_

"Huh? Oh yeah, stay safe and come back soon." 

Nodding his head, the boy slipped away from the group, disappearing into the trees. "What are you doing Link?" The sweet voice of a ghost popped up once more, following him deeper into the forest, further from the group.

_'Nothing Mipha, it's fine.'_

Her smile flipped into a hurt frown, hands behind her back as she drifted through the breeze by his side. "You're not going to hurt yourself again, are you?"

Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he gave a muffled sigh, brows furrowing. _'No..'_ He huffed, hands falling limp at his side, head hung low. "...I... It... It..." His voice rasped painfully, brows furrowing deeper, desperate to say the words clinging to the tip of his tongue. It never worked. Sighing, he waved his hand idly as he made his way towards a small pond, just out of view from a group of bokoblins. 

Disgusting...

Removing the cloak clinging to him, his eyes settled on the scarred skin of his left side through his reflection in the water. The torn remains of his gnarly ear, the permanent blistering and flaring of tender flesh, the minor lack of feeling up his entire left side... It was all... Just so repulsive...

He was repulsive....

Sighing, he let the water splash at his face, removing the stains of blood left by the Lynel. Goddesses, he wished it were his own blood, spilling out of his skin like a waterfall, unable to be stopped, his life fading into nothing but a fickle memory.

If only...

If only he wasn't cursed...

If only he wasn't a failure...

If only he were someone else...

^^^

A hand rested on Sky's shoulder, startling the boy out of thought. Drawing his sword in an instant, aiming it at their neck, back pressed defensively against the cool stone of ruins, his surroundings slowly began to settle into the sky boy's mind.

It was a simple mistake by Warriors, a simple one, but one that almost caused him to be sliced open if it weren't for the Master Sword refusing to hurt one of her masters. 

"Woah, woah, it's just me Sky." Warriors reassured the boy, hand pushing the blade away from his neck.

Sky dropped the sword ungracefully, eyes blown wide with regret and fear, head bowed low. "I-... I'm so sorry, I didn't- I'm sorry." 

Warriors gave a strained laugh, waving it off, concern in his eyes. It wasn't the first time the skyloftian child had spun around to attack them if they appeared behind him, and it probably wouldn't be the last, so Warriors didn't take much of it to heart. It still hurt though, watching someone he'd deemed a friend be so frightened at times, even when his hearing was strained for something. 

He loathed anyone standing behind him, felt no sense of security or comfort. If he could, he'd probably drag a wall with him attached to his back, just for some cool solace. 

What a mess.

"It's fine, you don't need to keep saying sorry, it was my fault anyways." Warriors brushed it off, giving a smile. "But I was just telling you, you have night shift after me, alright?" 

Blinking, the white caped boy gave a sigh. "Right. Sorry, again... I... I should know now not to... Do that..."

"We all have our scars, nothing you can do about it."

"... Right." 

^^^

"Link?"

A twig snapped within the forest.

"That's you, right?"

Rushed footsteps.

"Link...?"

Short blonde hair fluttered, steps coming to a pause as wind danced with blonde locks. Feminine blue hues, painted in grief and pain, stared at him longingly. "You're..." Their voice fell silent, hands clenched at their side. "Please look at me, Link..."

. . .

"Please..."

Facing the voice, a relieved sigh escaped their lips, rushing over to wrap their arms around him. "I thought you had left..." 

"... ... ... I...." His voice scratched, raw and wheezed, sounding more like a gargled squeak before death.

Their hands clenched around his back, shaking their head. "Don't... Don't say anything... Please... Everyone talks far too much than what I remember..."

Because you were alone for 100 years, he thought silently to himself, arms draped over the princess' shoulders lifelessly. 

They stayed like that for a moment before the princess pulled back, brows furrowed, eyes flickering over him. "Where..." She shook her head, giving him a strained smile. "What will you do now?" She asked, glancing around the forest before tugging his hood back a little bit to see his face. 

His eyes shifted, the moment feeling so loving, but hollow, obviously meant for someone he could never be again. 

_'Journey.'_ He signed briefly, listening to her sigh. _'Somewhere new...'_

She blinked, tilting her head back to see the blue tint seeping through the crack of leaves. "Somewhere new? Here I thought you had seen everywhere."

He paused for a moment, fumbling with his fingers _. 'Not here'_

She blinked, eyes falling back down to him. "Not here? What do you mean?"

_'New...'_ His fingers paused, brows furrowing in frustration. _'New...'_ His hands clenched momentarily. _'...New world...'_

"A new world? Do you mean a new area?" She asked, tilting her head.

She knew of his difficulties with words, knew his struggles, knew them from a time beyond them. But at the same time, she didn't know his struggles, didn't know them anymore for they were much worse, and part of her knows it's her fault. All her fault for not being strong enough, not being perfect enough to master her powers to protect him, for letting him take hit after hit by those cursed machines.

Goddesses, she regrets it so much.

He shook his head however, hands stretching out idiotically in a motion to around them. _'They said a new... New... New Hyrule...'_

"They? ... Who is **they**?" 

Eyes widening, he shook his head, hands flailing. _'A group of... hylians... like me?'_

Sighing, she rubbed her temples. "Like you? Do they travel around here? Are they new?" 

_'Magic'_ Came his ridiculously simple response, the girl realizing that was the most she'd be getting from him 

Huffing, she strained her smile. "Don't get yourself hurt, okay?"

With slumped shoulders, he tugged down his hood. _'Trust me, I'm fine.'_ He smiled, referring to the ghosted zora at his side.

Giving a sigh, she wrapped her arms around him once more. "Keep him safe, alright?" She mumbled to the night air, eyes a hazy blur. Her wilting smile turned into a teasing grin, poking his forehead. "And don't go forgetting about us again."

He let out a hoarse laugh, nodding his head slightly. _'I'll try.'_ He signed as she let go of him once more. 

"Introduce me to your friends one day, when you're all a little bit closer, alright?" She patted down her clothes, grinning.

Nodding once more, he watched the princess slip through the trees once again, disappearing into nothing but a faint silhouette. 

^^^

Flicking through his slate, his eyes skimmed over the amounts of food in content. Slipping it back to his hip, he tugged his hood down before rejoining the group to see them simply talking around a fire. "Oh you're back!" Hyrule's voice piped up, eyes boring into him.

Giving a nod, he pushed his slate over to the boy, head tilted. "Are... Are you asking if we've ate anything yet?" The boy asked, receiving a curt nod. "Oh, well not yet..."

_'I can... I can cook for you all?'_ He signed hesitantly, eyes flickering under his hood. 

Twilight peered around Hyrule, brow raised. "Are you sure? You don't have to." 

_'It's the only thing I can do'_

With furrowed brows, Twilight hesitated before giving in, letting the boy begin to cook for the group.

What more could he do but give in? They were all suffering in their own insecurities and traumas. It's not like he could push himself out of his comfort zone to comfort a boy he doesn't know. They didn't know this boy currently, didn't know this Hyrule, didn't know anything but him being the Hero of the Wild. Anything more than that, was unknown.

But then again, the group knew little about each other but what they wanted to be known. They simply knew things that would be helpful in battle and minor things.

... It was rather pathetic, wasn't it?...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dghrd im still in hospital so that sucks  
> this chapter also sucks because well,,, i wrote it,,,  
> thank you for all the support and comments, i adore reading them!!!  
> i love you all, you're just too sweet like woahhhh <3  
> anywhoo thanks for reading this, if you did :3


	4. Save us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || Where did his life begin to fall apart? ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sdfgghjhgd excuse me, why are you wasting your time reading my terrible stuff?  
> I love you and appreciate you, but why??  
> dfghtf T^T thank you for all the comments, bookmarks and kudos!!!
> 
> Also this changes pov a few times,, sorry,,, and focuses more on sky,,, but yknow,,, :3 I hope you enjoy this mess? sorry for any mistakes,,,,

Slumber once came as relief, letting them breathe, giving them minor support during their journeys.

But haunted minds never rest.

Haunted minds play memories on repeat like a record player, scratching away at their withering sanity until they're left bare with nothing but pillars of lies for support. It's unhealthy, they know. 

But does it matter?

What part of their situation was healthy? They were doomed to a fate of failure, whether it be within their lifespan or beyond it, they never got rid of the wretched beast of evil permanently. They doomed the next hero to a life of suffering. They danced in the palm of Hylia, letting her use them until they were worthless to her. 

It wasn't fair.

Life never was fair though.

Not even while they slept...

^^^

All he desired was for one dreamless sleep, maybe permanent, but dreamless. Just give him a dreamless dream instead of watching the girl he loved be wrenched away from his hands like a lifeless doll.

He hates it. Hates it so much he wants to strangle anything.

But he can't.

He's built himself up as the kind hero, the chosen hero. So he prays silently instead, and deems it that Hylia cannot hear his calls, refuses to accept she's left him once again. He prays the diamonds in his mind would simply disappear, prays to hold his Zelda close to him once more, prays his mind would stop twisting the events.

But his pleads remain unheard once again.

He watches, through permanently hazy eyes, as the human reincarnation of Hylia is thrown mercilessly away from his grasp. He can't help but cry out, begging his legs to move to her side despite knowing it didn't quite happen. Watches as diamonds of hell mock him, swinging the lifeless girl's body around like a toy.

**It didn't happen-**.

Watches as tears slip down pale cheeks, a rasp of air escaping busted lips. 

**Reminds himself it didn't happen.**

Watches more than listens to her scream as she flung around once more, diamonds blurring into foreign mass and dragging the girl down with him into the ground. 

He begs for her to come back, ears ringing loudly over the cries of the onlookers.

**It didn't happen-.**

It doesn't matter if it never happened, his mind contorts into hypotheticals, never silencing.

And so he's forced to watch himself fail. _Fail_. **Fail**.

He hates it.

But he pretends to be fine, refuses to give in to his mind out of tamed spite, refuses to give in because he's the chosen hero- the first- the causer.

...

He caused everyone so much pain.

He caused their fate.

He caused it.

He's at fault.

All his fault.

Always his fault.

...

Shut up.

_Shut up._

**Shut up...**

^^^

He's awoken to light shaking, eyes snapping to the potential threat; it's just Wind. It's just Wind. It's just-

"Are you okay?" Wind whispered, face leaning closer to the chosen hero. "I can take your shift too if you need more sleep." He offered, a kind smile that shouldn't be offered to him. He caused their pain, caused the suffering swimming behind young blue hues.

No, no that'd be cruel, don't make him sleep again, please let him wake up. 

Despite lids of lead desperate to fall shut, he pushed his body up and smiled at the young hero. "I'm awake- you go sleep for a few hours."

Uncertain eyes trailed after him, watching as he sat by the dwindling flames of the fire. "...Alright..." Came the hesitantly soft response, fabrics ruffling for a moment until the night fell silent once more.

Where did he go wrong?

Where did his life begin to fall apart? Was it from the moment he was born? From joining the academy? From not grasping hold of Zelda in time? Where? Where was it he had gone wrong? From following Fi- **no don't blame others.** From standing on that battlefield against the sword spirit? From-

Spiraling, his mind became a cacophony of noise, coiling around him like a predator.

A predator similar to that of an old demon-

**No, no, no.**

Like hands on him-

**Shut up.**

Like the unnaturally cold tongue near him-

**Stop it.**

He was prey and that monster was the predator he couldn't escape-

**Breathe-**

**B r e a t h e-**

**Br Ea tH E -**

^^^

Wild stared from his perch atop a tree. 

His eyes refused to shift, legs refused to move, mouth refused to cooperate. 

He wasn't made to comfort. He couldn't comfort anyone, especially someone he didn't know- did he even know himself?

Not the time-

He had to move, had to do something, had to help. 

How?

It's not like he could talk, or wake the others up, he didn't know them-... 

That was their friend suffering and he was just watching coldly. 

What kind of hero watches someone suffer? 

... Right, he wasn't a hero... But he wasn't cruel either.

Forcing his eyes to shift to the sleeping figures, he wondered how he could rouse one awake. He could throw something at them? Start a fire? Lead a monster their way? ... He could throw a stick at them? An apple? Some mushrooms, maybe he could just cook them something... 

A ghosted figure slumped beside him on the branch, judgmental eyes watching him. "You're as useless as ever." They sighed, a wing resting on the branch lifelessly. 

"Revali." A stronger, feminine voice warned, sat on the other side of the blond. 

Rolling his eyes, the Rito- Revali -let out a huff. "Just throw something at them, that'll wake them up."

Mipha, in all her grace, shook her head. "That could startle the sky child." Her eyes focused on the chosen hero, watching him pull at his hair dangerously. "Maybe being by his side could give comfort to him?"

"Hm, wouldn't that also startle the poor boy?" The other female's voice piped up, brow raised.

Fumbling with her hands, Mipha hesitated. "Right..."

_'I can't help him.'_

Behind him, the sturdy form of a ghost pressed against him. "Don't think like that Link- er Wild?"

"You're the only one who believes you can't do it, despite proving it countless times that you can help people." 

_'I killed you.'_

"Our deaths are not your fault and they never will be. The rise of Ganon was our demise, and you fought for us. Urbosa's right, you've shown you can help, you saved Hyrule." Mipha chided, floating over the branch across from the blond. 

Urbosa- the strong woman- let out a huff. "You're a stubborn boy, you always have been, but this is not something to be stubborn about."

He didn't let his eyes flicker to the woman, instead slipping off the branch with ease, feet landing on solid ground with a light thud. His eyes shifted around their makeshift camp. Behind him stood the sturdy form of a ghost, one he'd been close to called Daruk. "Sometimes people need comfort by just a presence." 

Hesitating, the scarred boy compelled his legs to move towards the dimming fire, four ghosts watching from afar. 

**He couldn't help someone-**

He had to-

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he sat near Sky, the rough log much more grounding under his palms than he'd expected. 

The child of the sky didn't seem to hear him, eyes unfocused, hair tearing from his scalp by calloused hands. 

How does he help?

Urbosa drifted to his side, a soft but sad smile coating her worn face. "Zelda used to have panic attacks akin to this." She stated simply, crouched before hazy blue hues of guilt, hand fazing past pale cheeks. "She felt so guilty and useless, haunted by dreams and prophecies she believed she couldn't fulfil." 

His mouth parted momentarily, an airy rasp replacing what should have been a question. His hands still wouldn't work, but he had to help somehow...

Her bright, envious eyes shifted to him, a deep sorrow burrowed inside. "It's a shame we must lie that I've passed, but I suppose it's better than her suffering any longer." Shifting her gaze back to the sky boy, she gave a ghosted smile. Her form flickered from his vision momentarily, face scrunched and distorted. "I usually had to-" Her words, sparking with life, fell short, disappearing with electrifying blue. 

Around him, the blue lives of ghosts sparked, flickering dangerously out of life. 

Until finally, he was alone with dying flames and strangled whimpers.

_Dying flames and strangled whimpers--_

He can't comfort-

He can't-

He's not made to comfort-

Doesn't know how-

_Howhowhowhowhow-_

...

Useless...

...

...

^^^

He's vaguely aware of the presence beside him, tries to find something comforting about it, tries to ground himself.

_Triestriestriestriestries-_

It doesn't work.

Thoughts, so many thoughts, flood his head. They swarm his mind, cling like a parasite, chippering happily, wearing him down.

There's too many thoughts he fears they might spill out, drowning his feet in guilt and unreasonable fears.

He's safe--

Safe, safe, safe--

No he's not.

He'll never be safe.

Not now, not ever-

He's going to die-

Someone save him, please-

Please-

Plea-

....

_There's no point-_

_He can't breathe-_

_Breathe_ -

**B r e a t h e-**

....

Around him, the world flickers to a somber black, and for a brief moment, it feels like he's facing Demise once more.

^^^

Maybe waking someone else up would be a better idea, he can't help someone.

^^^

Around him, the remains of a fire settle into vision. It does nothing to ease the turmoil in his head, the crashing waves of agonizing memories he wishes to forget. 

He hears a twig snap behind him, someone shifting to tired alertness. 

He's on lookout, he should go check it out, but his limbs wont move, and he fears passing out into nightmares disguised as dreams.

Beside him, the faint presence slips away, replaced by something more honest and childish and familiar.

_But that does nothing-_

_Not anymore-_

_Let him go-_

_He'll die anyways-_

_He's going to die-_

_Let him-_

Faint whispers, such calming whispers, battle his thoughts. Soft, small hands on his, pulling them away from his hair. 

_He's going to lose everything-_

_Don't take it away-_

_Don't take her away-_

"Come back-" A whisper.

_He can't-_

_He's broken-_

_Let him go-_

"-okay... -every... be...-"

_Distorting, fading, come back._

"Breathe... me...-"

**Breathe-**

**Breathe-**

**BrEaThE-**

"-...doing well... Follow-... Match... me...-"

^^^

Wild watched, perched on a tree once more, eyes trained to the two figures.

Sky seemed to be calming, if only barely.

At his side, Mipha sat smiling, eyes focused on the scarred boy. "Where will you take them in the morning?" 

_'Zora.'_

Blinking, her head tilted. "We're quite far from there... Any reason why?"

_'Vah Ruta. Acting odd. King Dorephan.'_

"My father? Did he ask for your help?" She watched his hands still, eyes shifting to her. Such beautiful eyes, tainted with hollow dullness that reminded her too much of his sudden change so many years ago. 

_'...'_

"Link?"

_'Something like that'_

Her eyes fell, focusing on the area around them. Such a sad world they lived in, malice more active than before, creatures wandering around injured, monsters prancing around. Odd. Their king was gone and yet they danced more livelier than ever before, tainting things in their path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont mind me, im about to clean up my tags  
> sorry for the awful chapter tho,, life's been hectic so,, hh  
> :3 thank you for reading,,, <3


	5. The rise of a new dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || The fallen king lay, blubbering malice consuming him. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this chapter, its mostly just me rambling and it'll probably be full of mistakes  
> We're skimming the top of the plot I have for this story so,,, that's progress somewhat?  
> Thank you all for reading this tho, its honestly really surprising and encouraging soooo,,, <3

She dreamt another dream, her world aflame with corruption, blue lights flickering. An arm, no longer fleshed, brightened with polluted red. An eye, false in its creation, tore apart at withering skin.

She wanted to cry out, grasp the boy, but her body fell into a void. Her very core spasmed, the malice she'd tamed for so very long coiled and churned, bubbling within her to take control.

She did not cleanse her world of darkness, no, she simply became its new container until she'd one day topple. There was nothing she could do, not now, not ever. The power of the goddesses wailed, the veil of purity withered, revealing the true form of spiteful demons playing trickery.

She was no child of the goddesses, blemished and cursed, tainted with unruly venom set to destroy their world. Perhaps, that was the best fate for Hyrule, to simply let it corrupt and die, be free from everlasting suffering.

^^^

Waking up at the slight show of light, the eldest, Time, let his bones crack as he stretched. His eyes flitted around the camp, two forms huddled together at the dead fire, passed out. Hm. Flittering around, he counted the other heads, nodding to himself at four others. 

Stalking towards him crept a seventh member, the odd markings on his face differentiating him from most. Time seemed to relax somewhat, grinning at the boy.

Wild hummed, watching curiously as the two talked quietly. 

Mipha, ever so loyal and sweet, appeared at his side once more. She was a steady support, regardless of the fact that she was dead- something he hadn't really come to terms with, especially since he could see her. "Why don't you show yourself?" She asked, her soft gaze solely resting on him.

Mulling over her words, he gave a shrug, Urbosa resting against another branch, observing. "The days do not wait for anyone, little voe. The Zora Domain is a while away, and that letter of yours spoke of pressing matters." 

_'I know...'_ His gaze shifted to Mipha, head tilted in confusion. _'Why didn't he ask for the princess-'_ His fingers paused abruptly, mulling over his words. _'... Queen's presence?'_

Urbosa clicked her tongue. "There's very little hierarchy here now boy, titles are something she'll bear once she builds her kingdom up once more."

"I suppose he'd hate to bother her, especially when she's fixing everything... Perhaps... If you let me see the contents of the letter, I'd be of more help." 

Ah... Right... She wasn't allowed to see, according to the letter. Understandably so, seeing as the issue was something that would, soon, hurt her. 

_'It's fine.'_

The Zora sighed, shoulders slumped. "Still, you should go down there." 

Humming a gargled symphony, he nodded his head, eyes flickering momentarily to the rising sun.

Leaping down from the tree, his eyes flickered up to the two ghosts, their smiles doing nothing but adding to the layers of guilt. 

Time's eye shifted over to him as he approached the two, blinking away his momentary surprise. "You're awake early. Where did you sleep?" He asked, eyes drifting around the camp curiously.

"Telling him you didn't sleep would be a bad idea, little one." Urbosa chimed, looming over him from behind. 

Nodding, he motioned over to the tree, the two heroes following his motion. "Hm. Try to sleep closer to camp next time, we can't have you getting hurt."

Wild certainly hoped there'd be no other time, he didn't really want to settle with these eight. He worked alone-.

The feeling of cold water washed over him in annoyance, the familiar feeling of Revali peering from the chambers of his soul catching his attention. "Ahem." 

-worked alone for the most part.

Cold water settled, dissolving into the air idly as Urbosa and Mipha slipped away back into their collective soul.

_'Right, sorry.'_ He signed idly, flickering his alert gaze around once more. _'When...'_ His fingers twitched momentarily, joints locking before he cracked his knuckles. _'When will they wake up?'_

Shuffling could be heard, their attention darting towards the rising member- Warriors if he remembered correctly. Time chuckled. "Well, they start to wake up around now, although some of them struggle waking up." His stare shot to the two sleeping away from the others. "Do you have somewhere you need to be?"

Warriors waltzed over curiously, sitting on Time's bedroll to listen _. '... Do you have a reason for being sent here?'_ He asked them, arms motioning to Hyrule itself. 

Twilight shook his head, hand on hip. "We usually have to do something before we can move, we don't know what though. If you've something to do, that might make things easier and quicker for all of us."

_'I need to go to Zora's Domain.'_ He confessed, eyes watching the sun climb higher into the sky, albeit slowly. _'That might be it... I'm not sure.'_

Warriors hummed. "How far away is it?"

_'... With all the stops and creatures...?'_ His gaze flickered to the trees, watching. _'If I... If I went alone... It'd be quicker, you could leave sooner...'_

Time shook his head, gazing over at the sleeping group. "No. No, we're a team now, we should go together. It might take longer, but that's alright with you, right?" His eye shot back to the quiet boy, staring him down.

_'I guess... We'll have to be quick... There's a lot of things... I need to do'_

"We can work with that." Warriors piped up, eyes boring into him. "When do you want to leave?" 

_'Soon.'_

The other three nodded, Wild stepping away from them and instead preparing them a breakfast that'd hopefully get them more energized for their journey. He just hoped the group were quick, he really didn't want to linger around too long.

^^^

Travelling as a group of nine appeared more troublesome than expected. 

Wild lead them down a sloping hill, ears twitching apprehensively under his dark hood. He kept his distance from the others, alert and aware as per usual, fingers twitching restlessly over his slate. 

Revali fluttered his wings at his side, stretching and squawking. "I suddenly remember why I hated travelling with you." He commented with a huff, catching blue eyes flickering over to him curiously. "You were never one to talk, ignoring everyone for your surroundings and responsibilities. Standoffish is what you were." The Rito glowered with snark, words desperate to hold bite but fell short. 

"Don't bully him, Revali. Link here, quiet as he is, was great fun to be around!" The sudden arrival of the Goron surprised Revali, his wings fluttering indignantly. Deruk peered down at the hooded boy, a frown to his lips. "Although... His floppy skin is something concerning... Really, you should be eating some good rocks, not squishy ground weeds!" 

Feeling the cold prods of the ghost always sent shivers down his spine, almost feeling as though the water around him rippled with frustration and discomfort. Odd. 

Urbosa, within the confines of his soul, chuckled, sparks of water trickling through him. 

Goddesses he hated water, hated its very being.

"Perhaps we should teach him our ways once more." She commented, Deruk instantly beaming.

Revali gave a huff. "Just for him to forget again? I think not. I refuse to waste energy on him if it's pointless."

Tearing herself through her confines, she materialized before the blue eyed Hylian, a wicked grin to her features. "Jealousy is an ugly colour~" 

"Jealousy?!" He squawked, chest puffed out and glare settling on the Gerudo. "You must be losing your sight as much as you are youth." He snapped.

Her grin curled up, dark and menacing, peering down at the Rito with predatory eyes. "I wonder how many times I can kill you until you disappear~ Or~" He gaze flickered to the Hylian, grinning. "Maybe our little voe here can show you up~" She teased.

As much as Wild loved the champions, they were frustrating with every appearance they made. Mipha agreed to that comment watching from the safe distance within his soul. 

Revali glared at him as the thought flitted by his mind. "The only thing frustrating is you." He chortled arrogantly, almost defensive. 

Deruk gave a sigh, shaking his head. "I love you all, but goddesses do you argue a lot..." The Goron gave a smile however, leaning heavily against Wild, enough to make him visibly stumble before the other heroes.

"Are you okay?" Time's voice called out, the hero clad in a black cloak stiffening momentarily. 

Peering back at the group he gave nod, eyes flickering to the sun positioning itself high in the sky. The group seemed somewhat tired, obnoxiously tired, so his eyes moved around the area. They were still in the woods, somewhat thankfully, a few logs around them that they could lean against. Straining his hearing, he could hear the faint sound of garbled cheers from bokoblins. Annoying.

_'We can rest here if you want.'_ He signed to the group, making his way to the small area. 

^^^

Legend was quick to sigh in relief, dropping his bag ungracefully and sitting on a fallen log, a huff escaping his lips. Goddesses his legs hurt.

Four was quick to join his side, eyes a flashing violet momentarily before dimming down into the usual silver hue. "How far until we reach our destination?" He asked, ignoring the burning stare of Legend, the boy curious and intrigued by the flicker of colour.

Link- Wild, he mentally corrected himself -glanced over at the shortest, ears twitching beneath his hood. _'A while.'_

Legend groaned. "What do you even need to do?" 

_'Information.'_

Hyrule- an odd nickname -shuffled to Legend's other side, nodding his head. "Uh... Is... Is it safe? ...To travel so far?" 

That was a good question he supposed. _'It should be.'_

^^^

Their break was short lived, Wild quick to his feet, eyes trained to the sun. He once again lead them further through the forest, a blue tower catching his attention. They were getting closer. Just a little farther. 

^^^

Wind bounced on the balls of his feet with each step they took, eyes gazing around this new place with something akin to awe. "It's so pretty here."

An arm rested atop his head, a chuckle resounding from Warriors. "Yeah, but it's much bigger than ours." 

Shooting a glare at the blue scarfed hero, the youngest hit the arm off his head, pouting. 

Sky hummed, walking on the other side of Warriors, eyes trained on the clouds passing above. "He's quiet." He stated simply, two pairs of eyes flickering over to him.

"Yeah... We don't even know what he looks like." 

It was suspicious, Sky could agree, but he also could understand being reserved. "He'll come around eventually. ...Hopefully." Twilight's voice drifted, catching their attention.

Wind hummed, eyes settled on the hooded figure ahead of them. Grinning, he bounded over, walking beside him. 

^^^

Shifting his gaze over to the young boy, Wild tilted his head curiously. _'Is something wrong?'_

"You looked lonely!" Wind explained happily, arms swinging at his side. "Your Hyrule is really pretty, and big, but mostly pretty! Do you like it here?" 

Blinking, blue eyes shifted back up to the sun, watching it slowly begin to fall. _'Sometimes.'_

"Sometimes? Mmm... I think it's nice here, not as nice as my Hyrule, but it's nice. Did you know I'm a pirate? Do you know any pirates? None of the others do, except for me obviously. Oh! Do you have any oceans?" His voice rambled question after question.

A chuckle rippled through his soul, the water washing over him like a wave. Mipha was enjoying the child's energy and attempt at conversation, she supposed it reminded her of a certain family member of hers. 

_'I don't think I know any pirates. ...Is it fun?'_

Wind blinked, eyes leaving the other's hands and instead settling on the view before them. A tower, large and stunning with a blue glow took up most of his view, a few hills decorating the large area, and a few mountains in the distance, rivers swarming around them. 

"Mhm! The oceans are great, although sleeping on boats was uncomfortable at first, you get used to it! There's so much in the waters, you know?" Wind beamed happily, recalling his adventures. "And there's a whole language with sails and it's amazing! If we ever go to my Hyrule again, I'll show you!" 

With all the water? He couldn't say he was excited, but the sparkle the short blond bore made it hard to deny. _'I can't wait.'_ He could, actually. He could wait a lifetime and a few more, just to avoid the ocean. 

Hylia, please don't send him to the ocean boy's Hyrule. 

Wind grinned, his wide, murky brown hues dancing around. "Where are we?"

Blue hues danced around, fishing out his slate. They were closest to the Great Plateau sadly, and he didn't necessarily have time to travel to Kakariko to get to Zora's domain quicker. His eyes shifted to the group behind him. He could lie, say they're close, not close enough, but still close. Yeah... Sighing, he strained a smile despite knowing it wouldn't be seen. _'We're close, somewhat.'_

"Oh, really? Great!" Murky hues drifted up, settling on the falling sun. "Are we travelling through the night?"

_'It's... Just tonight, sorry.'_

"Mmm the others will complain, but not me!" Wind grinned, proud of himself. "Unlike those idiots-" He side eyed the group behind them. "-I don't whine! I'll tell Time though!" 

Watching the boy fall back, Deruk's voice rumbled through his core, a steady flow of water drowning through him. "I like the kid! He's confident, young, but could be a good fighter! Doesn't seem as flimsy physically." 

Flimsy?

"Less... Floppy boned?" Deruk tried to phrase.

Revali let out a bark of laughter, chortling happily as Deruk sighed. "Basically, the boy seems physically sturdier than you." Revali corrected, Deruk trying, but failing to make it sound nicer.

Wild supposed he was used to the comments, knowing full well he was rather physically frail, much to his chagrin. 

Wind bounded back up to him happily, hands behind his back. "Time said it was okay as long as we rest later!" 

^^^

Time glanced over at the group, clearing his throat. "We'll be walking through the night, so stay alert. We'll rest later." 

Four let out a subtle sigh, wilting ever so slightly. Legend agreed with the sentiment but kept his mouth shut, fumbling with the rings littering his fingers.

^^^

Twitching, Wild's eyes peered through the trees, blue eyes wide and curious. "Is something wrong? Do you see something?" 

Shaking his head slowly, he faced forward once again, the group finally slipping out of the forest. His eyes danced around, unsettled.

Part of Wild wondered if maybe the group were really part of the Yiga Clan, trying to gain his trust and lure him to his death. Would it work? They seemed clueless, to be honest, talking more about different Hyrules than anything else. 

Maybe they came here to let him finish his last things before they'd kill him.

Were they perhaps assassins not part of the Yiga? No- one of them had the Master Sword. 

Was the Master Sword going to kill him? He wouldn't blame it, to be honest. 

^^^

Focusing on the tower ahead of them, Wild drifted to the North East, eyes focused more on his slate than anything else. Wind's voice tapered off, falling silent. Peering up, he tilted his head at the young boy, confused at his sudden silence. _'Is something wrong?'_

"Huh? Oh no, no, you were just... Busy?"

_'Busy?'_

"With your cube thingy."

_'My slate? I was listening, you were talking about your...'_ He tried to recall the sign, instead finger spelling G-R-A-N-D-M-A.

"Oh!" Wind nodded, watching Wild's gaze shift away from him and instead to the open area around them, slate slipping to the side of his belt. "Grandma knows all about my adventures, she's probably one of my biggest supporters, along with my little sister!"

_'Your sister?'_

"Yup! I'm a big brother. Aryll's annoying, but I love her. Do you have any family? I only have grandma and Aryll. Tetra's like a sibling I guess, a really annoying and bossy sister, but strong! Really strong, kinda scary, but not as scary as I can be, obviously." 

_'That sounds... Nice. This...'_ His brows furrowed, finger spelling T-E-T-R-A out for the young boy. _'How did you meet?'_

Wind pondered the question, paying little attention as they slipped by the Tower, the moon beginning to rise. Sky had appeared on the youngest's other side curiously. "Mmm... She was in the Forest of Fairies- which is near Outset Island. Oh! Do you have Outset Island here?"

Wild blinked, head tilted in confusion before shaking his head.

"Awh. Outset Island is great! It's near the sea, so swimming is a big thing there!"

"Are you talking about your Hyrule?" Sky's voice startled Wind momentarily, smiling softly at the two. 

"Yup! Oh did you know, Sky's the chosen hero! He formed the Master Sword to what it is now, and he lived in the sky!" Wind exclaimed happily. "He's also in looooove with his Zelda- we call her Sun to not get confused -it's kinda sickening at how lovey dovey they are."

Sky flushed, arms waving around. "I'm not- That's not- ..." His shoulders slumped, a wry grin to his lips. "She's just- amazing, I guess. She's my childhood friend, it's hard not to like her." 

Wild nodded. _'Childhood friends?'_

"Yeah. We were at the Knight Academy together. Grew up in Skyloft together and we've just... Been together ever since. Though I doubt she likes me." He explained, smiling softly at the faint memory. Everything was nice back then, before she was snatched away on the ceremony, before he met that dreaded demon, before he met Demise. 

Wind's face scrunched up. "Ugh. See what I mean, he's love sick, like a disease!" He exclaimed childishly, catching the attention of the group behind them.

"Sky's daydreaming about Sun again?" Warriors asked knowingly, grinning.

Sky glared pathetically, pouting. "I'm not daydreaming about her, I was just thinking."

Legend huffed. "Yeah, thinking about her. Again."

^^^

Their chatter was nice, he supposed, despite frequently zoning out of it. Revali often prodded at his soul as a reminder not to be rude, to keep his thoughts from drifting. It was nice and grounding, but also sickening as his body felt like it was floating in water each time.

Ugh.

His legs carried him to the peak of a cliff, the group stopping behind him. They'd need to get down, past the river, past the monsters lurking, and get to Lanayru Tower before the sun began to rise. From there they'd have to perhaps climb the tower and drift down to the shrine and go from there, or slip past everything and sprint to the shrine. Both options were a pain.

Luckily, he'd been able to successfully avoid monsters up until this point. However, he knows it wont last, knows on the path to the domain they'll face some creature. Especially since the blood moon had arrived a few days earlier.

^^^

"How do we get down?" Hyrule asked, peering over the edge. The drop made his stomach churn uncomfortably. 

_'Do you have anything to glide down with?'_

Wind fished out a large leaf, flailing it around. "I can take someone with me with this."

Nodding, he glanced at the others. Twilight spoke up. "Some of us have claw shots we can use. We can take someone else with us." 

Pulling out his slate, he grabbed his paraglider, motioning for if anyone wanted to tag along with him. Four shuffled closer to the hooded boy. "Can I go with you? No offense, but they're not really stable with... Anything really... So you can't be much worse."

"Rude." Someone muttered.

Warriors grabbed Legend, grinning. "I am not going with you, Pretty Boy." He muttered, trying to pull away but it didn't work.

Time and Twilight went together. Wind and Hyrule went together, much to the others concern. "Can you handle that?" Time asked the youngest.

Wind glared and huffed. "Of course." 

"Alright. Be careful."

^^^

Four awkwardly watched at Wild fumbled with his paraglider, staring down at the river. "Uh... So how do we do this?" He asked, silver flashing green briefly, before settling once more. 

Wild glanced back, motioning to his neck. Four blanched, did the hooded boy want to be strangled?

_'Here.'_ He grabbed the shorter boy's arms, wrapping them around his neck. It was awkward, Four hopping onto the other's back, clinging on more firmly and trying to ignore how tense they both were. Nodding to himself, the wild boy leaped off the side, descending alarmingly quick. Four bit back a shriek. The paraglider caught the wind, slowing the momentum and drifting the across the river, subtly avoiding the oblivious group of bokoblins parading around their camp. 

The others arrived a little afterwards, eyes wide and somewhat concerned. "Are you both alright?" Time asked, moving over to them. Four refused to let go until he's vision stopped swimming.

"I think you might have startled him, perhaps carrying him would be most efficient." Mipha's voice flooded Wild's mind, the boy subconsciously agreeing with a nod.

"I'm glad you're okay." Time said, taking the nod as an answer to his question, eyes settled on Four in concern. 

Wild glanced up at the sky, the moon falling behind the peak of mountains. They had to move quick. Hands supporting the short boy on his back, he began to walk around the mountain, the group startling at his quick movement. He could endure the discomfort of someone touching him, endure the overwhelming desire to tear his skin off, to burn the thing touching him. He had a job to do, his emotions and fears _had_ to be ignored.

"Uh. Shouldn't we get rid of the monsters around here?" Legend asked, falling into step beside Wild, eyes burning into him. The boy merely shook his head, walking up the path of the mountain and slipping through the field towards the tower. 

^^^

The king prayed to Hylia, begging she hear his call for the champion to arrive soon. Muzu, an elderly Zora, stood at his side, eyes old and concerned. 

"Their arrival will be soon." The elder muttered, more to himself than anyone else, eyes flickering between the empty spot of the Prince and the stairs leading to the throne room. He didn't quite believe his own words, days having passed since the Hylian had set out on his journey.

"Their... Arrival shall be soon..." The king muttered in agreement, fatigue in his voice, strained and muffled. "Just... A little... Longer..." 

^^^

Upon arriving at the bridge of the domain, Wild sprinted across, eight pairs of feet quick to follow. The champions drifted at his side, concerned. The blood splattering his tunic, the pain of his limbs being exerted, none of that matter, not right now. He had a job, nothing mattered than confirming the contents of a certain letter. 

Looming and red, a familiar Zora caught his attention, a somber look in once beaming eyes. "My dear friend, you're here! Thank the goddesses." He smiled, sad and small, unlike his usual charming grin. The Zora was quick to engulf the hero in a hug, a frown desperate to tug at his lips. "As much as I'd love to talk, we... We have places to be, Champion."

Mipha drifted at his side, frowning. "Why does my brother appear so sad? Link, what was in that letter?" She asked, but her voice went unheard. 

Eyes flickered to the group behind the Hylian, parting from the hug. "You bring friends, I see." The Zora, Prince Sidon, gave them a welcoming smile, one that never reached his eyes. "Please, feel free to wander." 

They heavy atmosphere didn't go unnoticed.

^^^

"My boys..." The kings voice rang out softly at the sight of two figures approaching. He frowned upon realizing he couldn't quite see them through bloodshot eyes, couldn't see his precious son or his children's love. 

_'Is it true?'_ Link- Wild -asked, Sidon repeating it for his poorly breathing father. 

"Let me apologize..." He began, "I fear... Our waters have... Been tainted with malice... Our people... So young.. Have began to dwindle..." The king sighed, eyes falling shut, pain to his features. His hands trembled on his armrests. "So young, you are... To lose so many... I fear I shall... Be yet another to add..." His throat tightened, despairingly purple veins protruding, black seeping through. 

Mipha stared, eyes wide and uncomprehending. 

The king gave a fleeting smile. "My boy, Sidon... Responsibilities... Must be passed to you... Forgive me... I fear... I'm taking your childhood away..."

"Father, please... You can... You must survive this..."

_'You requested my presence for a reason, there must be something I can do.'_

He gave a sluggish laugh, one that reverberated across the domain as he stared at Hylian. It was troubled and lonely, fearful and sad. "You are... Someone I consider family... There is... Nothing... You can help with, for a cure has yet to be found..." The Zora smiled, ignoring the splitting pain in his head, the cacophony of noise within. "I wanted to see you... One last time... Forgive me for the troubles... I put you both through... Such youth I take from you..."

"Father, we can... We can find something..." 

With eyes, so sad and red, he watched his only living child, reaching out. "I love you so much, my boy... I have many things... You must know... How... ever..." His throat tightened, refusing to say more, his body convulsing. Spluttering bubbles of thick malice, gargling and toppling, he silenced his son. 

Mipha let out a shrill cry, watching her father, her previous, precious father topple from his seat, collapsing to the floor. 

Staring, almost dazed, the three breathing figures felt as the domain rumbled and groaned, wailing at the sight. Wild pressed forward, nearing the convulsing form of a once kind king. 

Sidon stared, frozen. "No... This isn't real..."

Muzu held his breath, watching the Hylian kneel at the fallen king's side. "I beg of Hylia, bring mercy to our king..." He whispered with strain.

^^^

Zelda grieved within the confines of the castle.

^^^

_'Forgive me, King Dorephan...'_ The Hylian signed sadly.

Sidon crumbled to his side, hand on his father, not quite with them, but not quite gone either. 

The ones below froze, swarming at the bottom of the steps. The fallen king lay, blubbering malice consuming him. They mourned for their dying king. 

With one last intake of awareness, the king gave a pitying smile. Compelling himself to raise his voice, tears burned his eyes as they threatened to roll back. "Fear not for my fall... For a new king rises in my stead... As I shall pass with our grace of Mipha..." He huffed out, staring at his despairing son. 

Sidon dragged himself to his feet, agonizingly slow, not quite there in the moment. 

Mipha collapsed to the floor, blubbering her cries. "No, no, no... Please no... Don't go..." She mumbled quietly like a prayer. "This can't be... He..."

The malice tainting the king roared with sick torment, burning and searing at the fading Zora. "Let us... Remember my father..." The Prince's hands trembled, a sob desperate to tear through his throat. "For the kind Zora... He is- ... was..."

The onlookers stared, unmoving, unbreathing. 

^^^

The soul of the fallen king lingered, smiling sadly at the sight of his daughter, at the cries of his son, at the piercing gaze of their champion. "I see you have yet to pass, my sweet, sweet darling. Whatever lies ahead of us, I shall clear a path for when you arrive." His voice echoed, frail and passing. 

Mipha wailed at the sight, cradled within the arms of three others, watching blue sparks scatter where he once floated.

^^^

They watched from the bottom of the steps, watched as life passed away, watched as everyone mourned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this despite the rambles and death.  
> Aha,, did you notice I mayhaps like sidlink,,?  
> I actually really hate this chapter but it was necessary and I could have put it in the next one buuut other things need to happen now. Annnnd I really just wanted the champions to have some screen time.
> 
> Thank you for all the support, I love reading comments. There's so many kudos its overwhelming but in a good way. Thank you for all the bookmarks, im surprised people want to keep up with this mess aha,, 
> 
> I love yall, if youre reading these notes (most people dont so im not really expecting anyone to).


	6. Fate for the Unfortunate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || "My, do my eyes deceive me or has our champion not only appeared before me without my force, but does he bring... Friends?" She asked with lighthearted teasing. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, im v shocked,,, like i say this every chapter, but people reading this is just,,, surprising  
> like this isn't even written well  
> but thank you!!! its so,,, wonderful,,, :3 (sorry for any mistakes, am sleepy and ramble a lot both in writing and notes)  
> Also sorry, I really hate this chapter and its kinda a mess and all over the place and is actually just awful to read but yknow, ill regret it later, that can be for future me, so uh,, sorry if you read this chapter

The rain fell heavy that night, covering luminescent stone in a light sheet of water. Link- Wild, whatever his name was supposed to be -stared blankly at the large statue of a female Zora, with the prince- newly dubbed king -at his side. "I sincerely regret bringing you here, especially during this time..." Sidon mumbled quietly, unaware of all the eyes watching the two. "I still... Don't quite believe it... Both Mipha and my father..."

_'They'd be so proud of you.'_

Sidon let out a dry laugh, hand rubbing furiously at his face. "There's nothing to be proud of, Champion. I'm unfit for the throne, and I've allowed my people to suffer..."

Tugging his hood further over his blue hues, he shielded his eyes from view of the statue, frowning. _'Everyone knows you're more than capable to lead the Zora. They believe in you... I believe in you...'_

Chuckling, the Zora King let out a whimper, covering his eyes. "Hylia has dealt us an unfortunate fate my Champion, one of pain and suffering." He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Forgive me, I... I'm feeling rather... Light headed..." 

Wild frowned, grasping the Zora's hand to guide him to his room, pity swimming in his eyes. Blue hues drifted, staring at the travelers watching them, before finally disappearing from their line of view. Sidon sighed, pausing in his steps as the champion let go, hands twitching nervously. "Do you... Wish to say something, before I... Leave?"

_'I... My companions and I shall take our leave early morning... I'm sorry for all the trouble but I don't want to risk losing anyone else...'_

Sidon frowned, staring at the short Hylian. "Please don't tell me you believe this is your fault. There was nothing that could be done."

_'Death will follow me wherever I go... I... I'm sorry for your loss...'_ He frowned, refusing to look at the Zora. _'I wont be back for a while... Probably. I can't save people, but... I want to try, I think.'_

Sighing, the red Zora dragged the hero into a hug, eyes burning. "I cannot fight the demons haunting you, but I hope on your travels, you learn to understand that it isn't your fault. This Domain will forever welcome you, you are family to us Zora. My father and sister will look down upon you and guide you, please never blame yourself." 

^^^

"This became a lot more complicated than originally expected..." Time sighed softly, a few murmurs of agreement fluttering around the room. 

Wind frowned, concern in brown hues. "I didn't expect the King to die..." His brows furrowed, legs swinging idly from his perch on one of the beds. Warriors sighed, bringing the youngest into a hug.

The Hero of this era pushed the door open quietly, peering around to see eight pairs of eyes landing on him. Freezing, he debated entering the room or not, only to be motioned inside by the one bearing a wolf pelt- Twilight. 

Letting the door fall closed behind himself, his eyes drifted around the room curiously, never having been in one these rooms due to quick travels. _'We'll be leaving in a few hours... You might want to sleep.'_

"So soon?" Wind asked curiously, head tilted. "Don't you want to... Stay and grieve for a bit..?" 

The hero blinked, shaking his head. _'No time. Emotions later.'_ His fingers twitched, locking in place until he cracked them, brows furrowed. _'... We should... Go to Kakariko... Impa should know what to do... She'll probably send us to Hateno for Purah... And then... ...'_ His signing dwindled awkwardly, more to himself than anyone else. 

Daruk wrapped the boy in a soft hug, careful not to knock him. "Don't worry little guy, everything will get sorted... But the kid was right, grieving is a good thing."

"Alright..." Time agreed, albeit hesitantly. "We leave tomorrow, right?"

Nodding, he looked around at the group, only to see murky brown eyes staring at him oddly. "It's almost as if he can see me..." Daruk muttered uncomfortably behind him, shifting and frowning. "Do you think the kid can see me?" He asked the quiet boy, voice quietened as an attempt to whisper- it didn't work. 

Shrugging his shoulders subtly, he let his blue eyes move away, instead focusing on the view outside. Mipha phased into the room, tear stains obvious as she clung to Urbosa. "Four hours til we're leaving, right? At five?" Urbosa asked, consoling the quiet Zora- her stare almost concerning for the lack of swirling emotion in such kind hues. 

Nodding once more, he blinked away his stare, instead raising his hands. _'You all need sleep. I'll... I'll wake you up before we leave...'_

"Where are you staying?" Sky's voice piped up finally, his eyes never moving from the soft glow of the Master Sword. 

_'I'll be outside.'_

Legend's brows furrowed. "You're sleeping outside?"

Pausing in his move to open the door, he glanced back at the boy with a pink strip of hair before shaking his head. _'Collecting stone. For a statue. Of the King.'_

"Shouldn't you sleep?" Time asked, concern in his hues.

_'Later.'_ He signed before opening the door and slipping out, leaving the group in silence once more.

^^^

"That was... Weird..." Hyrule mumbled, curled in a ball between Legend and Four, staring at the empty space where the hero once stood. "Do you think he's okay?"

Legend sighed, hand raking through his hair. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does!" Hyrule exclaimed, staring at him incredulously. "He's just lost someone and he's just... He might push himself too far..."

Four nodded on his other side, eyes shining a bright purple, dimming into red, the two colours intermingling before settling into silver. "If we're to travel and work with him, his emotions and mental stability matter. It could be an issue to a future battle." 

Hyrule gave a weak glare at the shorter boy. "That's not it... We're all friends, right? We're meant to look out for each other... Isn't that what friends do?"

^^^

Twilight shifted awake, blinking blearily up at the dark room. The silent click of a door caught his tired mind's attention, eyes shifting over to the intruder. Wild seemed to stare at him, eyes hidden with the comfort of a hood. It was... Odd and suspicious, and highly concerning. Why hide your face amongst your peers?

"Are... Are we leaving?" He asked quietly, raising his body up into a sitting position. The hooded hero gave a quiet, jerky nod. "I'll wake them up. Did you... Did you get everything for this place before we leave...?" The hero gave another nod before slipping back out of the room.

Legend twisted, eyes peeled open as though he hadn't slept. "I wasn't looking at him, did he say anything?" He asked quietly, head tilted to the side to try and see the other. An arm trapped him from moving- Hyrule was hugging him as Sky hugged Hyrule.

Twilight gave a snort at the sight. "He just nodded his head. We should wake everyone up. Specifically Wind and Sky before everyone else." Legend gave a groan, peeling the arm off him.

Peering around, Twilight settled his eyes on the sailor, watching as he was cuddled up to Warriors comfortably. "... I kinda don't wanna wake him up."

Legend hummed, sitting up and staring at the two. "Good luck."

Four pushed himself up, his sudden turn of alertness startling the other two. His blaringly violet hues shifted around in alarm, finally settling into calm silver. "Oh. Hello you both." He greeted, rubbing his eyes.

"You uh... You okay?" Twilight asked with a tilt of his head.

"Hm? Oh yeah, no, I'm fine. Just gave myself whiplash is all. A bit dizzy." He hummed, massaging his temples momentarily before blinking around once more. "Are we... Are we waking everyone up?"

Legend gave a nod. "Yeah the uh... That hero came in before. Annoyingly quiet, but we're leaving soon I guess." He huffed out, rolling his shoulders as Four gave a hum of understanding.

"You don't like him, do you?"

"Can you blame me?" He asked, staring at the silver eyed hero. "He doesn't talk, he hides his face, and for all we know, he might not even be the hero."

Twilight, crouched beside Wind, glanced over at Legend. "Mmm yeah I get it. But we're going to uh... see Impa, right? She'll probably tell us about the hero. Maybe."

Four nodded in agreement, shifting around and peering over Time curiously. "The Old Man looks dead. It's weird." He noted absently, staring intently.

"He'll wake up if you stare." Twilight commented, prodding the young boy repeatedly.

Legend huffed a laugh, raising a pillow over his head. "Yeah, he'll wake from the dead and kill you."

Four chuckled, refusing to waver. Time shifted slightly, brows furrowing.

The small boy twitched as cold fingers prodded his face.

The pillow came crashing down on Hyrule and Sky.

Four let out a yelp, alerting Warriors and the group as Time's eye shot open, staring at the small hero blankly.

Wind groaned, eyes peeled open and slapping his hand half-heartedly at Twilight.

Sky and Hyrule let out a shriek as they crumbled to the floor, startled but alert.

Wild peered back into the room out of concern, seeing the group rowdy and awake but not quite ready. His brows furrowed slightly, but gave a shake of his head and slipped away before he could be noticed by the group.

^^^

Before five could roll around, he knocked on the door of the travelers, peering inside to see the group up and ready. Nodding his head, he stepped inside awkwardly, catching Four's attention. "Oh, you're here." He commented, catching everyone else's attention.

Nodding his head, he glanced around. _'Are you all ready? It shouldn't take long...'_

"We're leaving now?" Wind asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Time stared at the group before nodding his head. "We're ready when you are."

Wild gave a silent hum, peeling the door open and peering around. The domain was relatively silent. Good. Stepping out, the group followed him as he made his way to the center of the domain. Bowing his head to the statue, a familiar, black Zora caught his eye. Bazz, the Zora, smiled at the sight of him, walking over as quietly as possible. "You're leaving now?"

_'Muzu has everything I collected for King Dorephan...'_ He explained, Bazz giving a grim nod. _'Take care of yourself, stay clear of the waters.'_

"Of course, you too. All of you. Pri-.. King Sidon will make an announcement of everything later, you sure you don't want to stay for a bit longer?"

_'It's not safe... I... We have to go, thank you for your hospitality. See you around Bazz.'_

"...Yeah... See you later Link..." Bazz mumbled, watching the group slip out of the Domain as swiftly as possible. Sidon appeared at his side with a frown. "He blames himself... Again..."

"I hope that group can heal him... Even slightly..." Sidon muttered, eyes drifting to the statue of his sister.

^^^

Attentive to the large span of open wilderness around them, the group tried to refrain from lingering too far behind. Legend's eyes gazed over the tainted area, brows furrowed. "Where even is everything?" He asked, Sky looking around at his question.

"Uh... I'm not... I'm not sure, but I guess we'll find out soon..." 

Wind hummed, eyes flitting around with active energy. Worming his way over to the hooded hero, he grinned, eyes wide. "Who was that statue of?"

Eyes flickered over to him briefly before returning to the stone ahead of them. _'The Zora Princess.'_

"She must be important."

_'Yes, she saved many lives during and after her time alive.'_

"Oh... She looks... Looked pretty."

The hero didn't respond, a soft smile to his lips. Wind didn't need a response, the smile meaning more than any words ever could have. 

^^^

The group set up camp near the path as the sun began to set, Warriors setting the fire and everyone sitting around it. Wild positioned himself away from the group, instead focused on actually cooking for the group. 

Time cleared his throat, giving a soft smile to seven pair of eyes latching onto him. "If we're to travel with this new hero, I think it'd be best to start learning sign, don't you?"

Wind bounced in his seat happily, leaning forwards. "I can help teach! I already know a lot because of grandma and Aryll!"

Nodding in agreement, Time's eye shifted around the camp curiously. "Does anyone else know sign? I know the basics and can hold conversation for the most part."

"My sign is a little... Old..." Sky mumbled, Four nodding in agreement. 

"It's better to start now than never, right?" Warriors asked, eyeing the camps reaction. 

^^^

He blinked slowly, trying to comprehend what the group were trying to do. Their arms danced and flailed in the air exaggeratedly, groans and yells of impatience filling the air. Wind was screaming at them with pure amusement and delight at the sight of their suffering, hand on hip. 

They looked just about ready to kill the child.

Blinking, his eyes shifted to Sky, the kind Skyloftian boy waving at him meekly. _'What's happening?'_ Did he have any right to ask...?

"We're..." Sky froze momentarily, forcing his hands to try to follow his words. "We're trying to... Sign... And learn... It..." He mumbled, staring intently at his hands, brows furrowed in something akin to offence. 

Daruk peered from their soul, curious and sweet. "That's nice! They're trying to be good brothers to you, little guy!" 

_'Thanks?'_

"Uh... You're welcome? Am I doing this right?" 

Smiling to himself, Wild gave a nod, signing the other hero's desired words more fluidly. _'Have more confidence in your signing, it'll help refine it.'_

Sky simply blinked at him, watching as he signed it again slower and slower until he understood, copying it as a self reminder. Wild couldn't help the bloom of happiness splitting through him.

Was that even fair? He'd watched Mipha's father die before his eyes and here he was smiling and feeling happy while she mourned- why wasn't he mourning? Why couldn't he bring himself to cry? Why, why, why? Was he heartless-

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tapped his slate, passing the Skyloftian a curry. It was quickly passed around the group, more following after until they all had their meals placed before them. Giving them a parting nod, he slipped away, making rounds of their perimeter. 

It didn't feel safe out here, not anymore.

^^^

His shoulders rolled uncomfortably as he rested against a tree, eyes watching from the high vantage of a branch. An unnecessarily large group of monsters were mulling around, waiting, watching, listening.

Momblins, Bokoblins, Lizalfos and Wizzrobes. Odd.

He could shoot bomb arrows at them to clear the path, or start a few fires, or electrocute them... What to do, what to do...

Biting his lip, he rolled his shoulders once again, his body sluggish.

Should he tell the others? No... They're relaxing, this isn't their job. 

Relying on others was a bad habit he couldn't afford- he'd only end up causing their death somehow in the future.

Pulling out his slate, he stared at his weapons, chewing the inside of his cheek. Bow and arrows? Swords? Spears? Axe? Club? Boomerang? Hammer? Urbosa's Fury?

He hates decisions, hates having to play things safe and confined for the safety and peace of others- that's not him, not his spirit. But he's confined, as per usual, to make decisions, to consider his consequences for those around him, to stay as silent as possible to not alert any attention.

Groaning to himself, he pulled out a simple Lizal Forked Boomerang to test their formation. Pulling himself higher into the trees, he curved his upper body to the side and down, propelling his arm over the area in a swift motion and let the weapon rip out of his hand. Crouching, he watched with avid curiosity as the boomerang lodged itself within a Bokoblin archer's skull, thick rolls of black blood coating the weapon as it squealed and shrieked.

Cold eyes of Lizalfos and Wizzrobes peered around curiously, snapping towards any small sound. Their bodies wavered, thrumming with anticipation. Moblins paced, swinging clubs around anxiously. The bokoblins began to form their towers for an attempt at higher advantage.

Snatching out his Great Eagle bow, he notched three flaming arrows, pulling the string back.

Hylia forgive him for the beautiful flames he was about to raise.

Letting go, the arrows whizzed, eyes snapping up to the trees, observing. Bokoblins squawked and squealed as flames danced across their wooden structures, growing and encasing the forming towers in molten ash.

Leaping through the trees he watched as eyes began to follow his movements slowly, trying to track him. Notching three more fire arrows, he let them wrap around two moblins and a Wizzrobe.

Balls of electricity shot at him, prancing Wizzrobes dancing dangerously closer to him.

Screaming and thrashing, Moblins flung flaming weapons out to the trees in a desperate attempt to avenge themselves. It only caught the attention of eight relaxing Hylians. Groaning at the sound of feet trampling over to the blazing area.

Maneuvering his body out of the trees, he used his paraglider to slow his drop, slashing a Biggoron sword across the dancing Wizzrobe. Pushing the creature down to the ground with him, he felt sparks of electricity frazzle his body, a ball of electricity seeping into his veins. Fuck.

A sword swooped above him, slamming into a Lizalfo who seemed a bit too adventurous as it tried to kill the frazzled hero. "We're a team Kiddo," Time's voice rang near him before disappearing further away, the bearer of the sword saving him. "you can't just run off and fight alone anymore."

"I thought I saw smoke!" Wind's voice called, a grunt following afterwards as a tail wrapped around his ankle, slamming him to the floor. "Goddamn fucking shit!" He cursed, growling and seething. "Don't fucking touch me!" He screamed at the reptile, ramming into it with his shield and tackling it, sword tearing through scaled flesh with blazing anger. 

As if dancing in the field of blood, the master sword and its bearer pirouetted with grace, slashing Moblins and Bokoblins with unnatural ease. A white cape followed after, avoiding the splashes of blotchy blood.

Sparks of lightning entangled around a Lizalfo, revealing Hyrule's deep frown as it crumbled. Its teeth bared at the boy, snarling as it launched itself only to be pierced down by Legend, sword twisting through its throat. "I just cleaned this sword..." He muttered to himself with a groan. "Watch yourself next time." Legend chastised, tugging out his sword and giving it a sharp flick, blood scattering across barren grass.

"Don't let them rebuild their towers!" Four's voice yelled, desperately dodging the balls of electricity being aimed at him from three different angles.

Readjusting his position, Wild slipped away to the cover of trees, finding it easier to stay out of their way. Releasing three more flame arrows, he watched the chosen Bokoblins advancing to make a tower crumble, screaming with agony and rage.

A bolt of electric froze him, unexpected pain making his already jolty body squirm. His brain felt aflame, bouncing and burning. A shiver ran down his spine as he blanked.

The Wizzrobe squeaked as it crashed to the ground, a blur of a wolf pelt following after it.

Wild blinked at the sight, not quite processing.

Forcing himself out of his stupor, he switched from flame arrows to ice ones, kocking down one of the Wizzrobes attacking Four, watching it smash against the ground from the heavy weight of ice. A sword crashed into it, Wind's eyes flaring with each swing of his sword. "Are you okay?" He asked, brushing off the dirt clinging to his blue tunic. 

Four nodded, smashing his sword against another frozen Wizzrobe as Wind defended his back from the third. Shooting it down, Wind plunged his sword deep within the ice, twisting his weapon with cruel glee.

From a distance, Time grunted, Twilight barging in to assist. Their battle began to dwindle, coming to a calming rest. 

^^^

He blinked, once then twice, eyes gazing over their camp. Time stood before him with a disappointed glare- why? "Do you understand yet, or do I have to spell it out for you?" 

When had they gotten back to camp? "-Focus..." Came the soft reply of Urbosa, the Gerudo prodding at his soul gently, sparks of water running up his spine.

"We are a team, we work together. When you find a camp, you have to tell us, so that you don't get hurt." Time chided. "You're lucky we came when we did, you could've been badly hurt." 

Wild blinked slowly, mind blank but all the while blazing with questions upon questions.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need any potions?" Hyrule's voice cut in, head peering into view. 

"Shake your head, little boy, you're in no pain, correct?" Urbosa guided, Wild giving a slow shake of his head, watching relief flood into the brunets face. 

Time sighed, giving him a once over. "Just..." His shoulders sagged a little, instead rubbing at his face before stalking off.

^^^

His eyes, dazed, stared into the auburn flames unblinking. 

Legend watched from his bedroll, frowning. Huffing, he settled back and let his eyes fall closed, not sleeping but not awake either.

^^^

Kakariko Village thrived with unexpected life and chatter of the Sheikah. Wild's strides were more confident as he passed under sloping canopies, giving soft smiles and head pats to excited children. But despite his confidence, it seemed false, reserved and forced.

His eyes crinkled with each smile he gave, his wrist cracked with each flick of a greeting. 

Following cautiously, the group let their eyes wander, curious. They stood before a staircase, two guards standing before the entrance. The two blinked, curious as their hero stepped forwards, smiling at them. _'They're with me, we're here to see... Impa?'_

The taller of the two guards blinked, grinning wide. "You brought friends! Lady Impa will be happy to see you and your guests!"

_'Are we allowed up?'_

"Go right ahead Champion! She shouldn't be sleeping now, or busy."

Nodding his head, he lead the group up towards the door, giving a gentle knock before pushing open the door. Before them, an elderly woman sat, eyes steel as they settled on the group shuffling inside. "My, do my eyes deceive me or has our champion not only appeared before me without my force, but does he bring... Friends?" She asked with lighthearted teasing. 

"M... Ma... Master Link is h... here?!" A voice squeaked, a head peering around from the back of the building, a seemingly hidden kitchen behind Impa's form. 

Wild gave a nod and a wave, ignoring the way his bones locked and cracked unsettlingly. 

Impa's eyes narrowed on the group of nine, beckoning them forwards as the other person slipped away back into the kitchen. "You never come here to visit... What brings you here, especially with guests of such... Similar fates?" She asked as the other stranger slipped back out, shielding her face with cushions for the group. Placing them down nervously, she scuttled away as quickly as possible. Impa smiled, "Well, wont you take a seat?"

Taking her offering, the group of eight sat down as Wild bowed his head before the elder. _'Sorry for not... Visiting...'_ He started only to receive a chuff of laughter.

"Show it with actions, not words young boy. You say it each time you come, more time parting your visits."

_'Sorry... I came here for a reason... Again'_

"Of course you did. Spit it out."

_'These are the Heroes of Old, correct?'_ He asked the woman, as though he didn't believe the group behind him. It hurt, more than the group would like to admit. 

Her eyes, aged and withered, looked over them with piercing judgement. "That they are, and what of it? Do you not believe their words, Champion?"

_'That's not... How do I get rid of them?'_

Wind let out a noise of betrayal, staring at the hooded hero. "You're trying to get rid of us? Why? We've been sent by Hylia to find you! Do you not like us? Did we do something wrong? I'm sorry-"

Impa's gaze moved from the young boy to the hero of this era, unblinking. "Goddess Hylia will forever track you down, forcing you to meet these Heroes. The longer you resist, the more futile. Saving Hyrule is your destined duty you may never escape." 

Wild frowned. The Champion's souls pulsated with support, listening but not watching.

"Perhaps, a certain someone or two could help with your predicament. Help ease your worries and give all of you a somewhat better understanding of what's being asked of you." Impa suggested, watching Wild sigh, having known the answer she'd give. She split a grin. 

_'Right...'_

"I never thought I would live to see the past heroes, however. Do you know what brings you to our time?" She asked, eyes flicking over to the hooded hero as he slipped away into the kitchen, leaving the group alone. 

Time cleared his throat. "We don't, actually. We suppose Hylia has brought us together to defeat something, but we're usually just here to defeat black blooded monsters- the infected -before we're sent away." 

Her eyes narrowed at the group, staring at their stained outfits. "Yes, our world has been plagued with such creatures. You seem to have been in a fight, however, before you got here."

"Apologies for our... Unsightly appearance." Time gave a wry smile. 

A soft blue glow caught the groups attention, eyes drifting to Sky holding the Master Sword, much to Impa's fascination. "What uh... What happened... To this world, if you don't mind me asking?" Sky asked, face pale in the soft glow. 

Impa blinked, eyeing the group slowly. "I can't say much about it, that's for our Champion to explain, but I suppose you could blame it on the Calamity brought to Hyrule." Her words, spoken with ancient knowledge, were somber and chosen deliberately. 

"The Calamity...?" Wind asked aloud, not really trying to get an answer.

She gave them a smile, chuckling softly. "Such youth you all bear, fate has never been a nice thing to those chosen to give the greater good. I apologize in advance for your future and for our Hero." Her eyes shifted back to the sword, frowning. "You bear the Master Sword?"

Sky blinked, hand running over the blade. "I... I had refined the Master Sword into who she was for the future heroes..."

Impa gave a nod, gaze flickering over the group. "You're very troubled heroes... I can only pray that your bonds will... Lessen your burdens. Perhaps, when we meet next, we can talk more, with less restrictions on knowledge." Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Patience will give you many things, so please, be patient with each other."

Time smiled reassuringly at her. "Of course, we're... Brothers now..."

Wild and the stranger- a young girl with a few similarities to Impa -slipped back out with trays of tea and snacks, handing them out to everyone. Impa gave a smile, and a nod. "Thank you, Paya, Link. Will you be staying the night here?" 

Wild blinked, head tilting back to the ceiling. Revali floated at his side, huffing. "Say yes, Champion. You're not wandering the night, especially so dazed." 

_'We will. And then set off early to Hateno... And then... And then we'll see... Purah...'_

Impa raised a brow at him before giving a nod. "Tell my sister she's not allowed to do any tests while you're there..." Wild gave a nod, a grateful smile to his lips.

Paya blinked to herself, trembling as she raised her hand for attention. Blue eyes settled on her in curiosity, her cheeks flushing. "Uh.. Uhm I was- I head something concerning... About the Yiga..." She started, words mumbled slightly before she pinched her thigh and took a deep inhale. "The uhm- the Yiga have been more active lately, and- and they've been proclaiming things about- about a new master, a leader who... Who knows how to... Bring... Back... Him..." Her words tapered off.

"The Yiga?" Warriors asked curiously, giving a charming smile when Paya's attention shifted to him. 

She swallowed thickly, eyes flickering back to their hero. "The- the Yiga Clan... Are people who... Support... Uhm Ganon..." 

The blue scarfed hero blanched momentarily, eyes flickering to Wild in concern. _'Are they harming civilians?'_

"Yes... They've started entering our villages... They're destroying everything..."

His gaze remained on the ceiling, blinking slowly as he processed her words. _'I... I'll see what I can do... About it...'_ His gaze flickered down to Impa, frowning. _'Why wasn't I told about this?'_

"It's only started recently, and you've learnt to hide yourself even from us Sheikah, so getting your attention was much harder than appreciated."

Hesitating, Wild frowned. _'Sorry...'_

Her gaze turned cold and focused, lips pulling down. "What bothers you? Am I wrong in my assumptions that something has happened?" 

His eyes flickered, bowing his head. _'I.. King Dorephan has passed. Infected. By the waters... I can't- I wont see the Queen for a while... Would you be able to give her the message?'_

Paya's eyes widened, glancing over at her grandmother is distress. "Hylia above, it's happening..." Impa muttered, brows creased in concern. "Of course we will, although I have a feeling she's vaguely aware of what happened."

"Sorry, but what's happening?" Four asked, startling the elder out of thought. 

"Perhaps... We were too late once again..." She shook her head, eyes settling on the shortest man. "Hero of Old, forgive me, what a terrible host I have been to you all." She gave a strained smile. "You have a long journey ahead, it's best you all sleep early. The future shall tell your fates, let us hope they are kind." 

Silver eyes bore into the woman, observing her. "The fates are never in our favor." He confessed, watching as she gave a solemn nod. "Perhaps you can offer us advice." 

Her gaze narrowed, a lilt to her lips. "The creatures you so seek may be the least of your problems. Fear that of the times you are placed between and the sights of secrets revealed." She told, as though reciting it from memory, ignoring the stare of her granddaughter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im very iffy w Impa because she has a confusing personality so,,, I just kinda made her somewhat secretive and also a tease because who doesn't like to tease people when given the chance? Also I just like making her hard to understand, especially her words because she's old and she's seen so much that she's become a somewhat mystery.
> 
> I love all the comments, im not actually sure if im meant to reply to them (am i meant to???) but they're all encouraging and sweet
> 
> to the one person who said id have to console them if its going the way they think, im prepared to comfort us both because its gonna be a wild ride and its going to get hard,,, :) 
> 
> also sorry about the people who read these, i end up ranting in notes so,, you can ignore them, there's not much that's said, like,,, ever. but i hate this chapter, because ive rewritten it six times and im still unhappy with it. it orignially had a suicide scene and then i was like- no, thats mean to mipha. so then it was gonna be more focused on the bros messing around (sorta left it in but not really) but i cant write fluff and accidentally somehow killed off legend soooo that got scrapped. and hhh it was a wild ride of moving scenes around and saving things for future chapters.
> 
> also!!! so if youre still reading this, please consider leaving a comment,,, like,,, i really appreciate them and also really just need like,,, if you have any criticism (constructive!!!) then please throw them at me :) thank you for all the support, i love it :) i love yall owo dhfgs fuck i sound annoying- aha,, shit,,,


	7. Competing rulers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || "All hail King Ganon and his soon return!" 
> 
> "All hail Queen Zelda and her eternal reign!" ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sdfgh thank you for reading this rollercoaster  
> Ahhhhhhh yall are too sweet  
> Like so sweet  
> I dont comprehend this, I dont deserve it, yall are too good for me  
> Sorry for any mistakes!!! I am so tired, that I've skimmed a lot so, I'm incredibly sorry

Kakariko, in all its glory, was a lively village. Blooming vegetables, flowers and trees swarming the place, an air of old lineage and life. Children scrambled around the village, laughing with innocence.

But despite its air of fortune, there was a hollow breath of death hovering the area, thickly coating the hero clad in blue.

Children bore aged looks of cruel knowledge, adults stiff with distrust and anxiety of the future. This lively village was haunted. This lively world was suffering.

^^^

Cradling her trembling granddaughter close, Impa cooed softly as kind eyes rolled back, body spasming. The elder frowned, hand raking through long white locks, listening to the mumbles she spilt. 

^^^

Wild watched the group situate themselves within the inn, weapons and armour quick to be shrugged off for comfort. "Are these... Your friends...?" A quiet, tired voice asked as blue eyes drifted over to the innkeeper. 

_'Something like that.'_

A slow nod was given in response, fatigue obviously clinging to the owner. "What time...?"

_'Early morning. I should be here by then, I'll wake them up.'_

"Alright..." The man gave another nod, yawning. 

Various eyes drifted over to him curiously as the innkeeper drifted to sleep, voices kept deliberately quiet. "Can we look around?" Sky's voice caught his attention.

Giving a curt nod, the Hero of Wild slipped away, allowing the group to partake in their own small adventure.

Blue eyes drifted the area, entranced by crackling embers, squawking cuccos, and humming children. 

^^^

Sitting on the platform of an ethereal blue structure, Legend and Hyrule listened to the soft chatter of the villagers down below. "It's pretty here..." Hyrule commented idly, recapturing the veteran's wandering attention.

A mere hum was his only response.

Flopping back on the platform, Hyrule dragged his hand across the inner designs of the structure's walls, watching with avid curiosity as it flickered golden under his touch. "Do you think he's the hero?" 

Icy blues drifted over to the traveler, brow raised. "You're suspicious of him?" 

"No! No, no, that's not... That's not it.." Hyrule defended quickly, body lurching up into a sitting position as his hands flailed around pathetically. "It's just... You're hesitant to believe him so..."

"Does it matter if I believe him or not?" He asked, leaning heavily against the inner walls of the structure. "We're on yet another quest to save Hyrule, trust and belief have nothing to do with it. We're just doing Hylia's bidding, and once she's finished with us, she'll throw us away like the worthless tools we are." 

Frowning, the traveler deflated, sprawling across the platform once more. "Yeah, maybe, but shouldn't we make the most of this time together? ... I don't... I don't have friends back where I'm from, but I'd like to be friends with you all." 

Nudging the laying boy with his foot, Legend gave a hum. "And here I thought we were friends, you hurt me traveler."

"Really? I'd like to be friends, but I'd like to be friends with the others too."

"Then talk to them."

"... I want you to be friends with them as well."

"Look, kid, you can be friends with them all you want, but it only makes things harder."

"So why are we friends?"

"Because I refuse to let anything happen to you."

Letting out a small chuckle, the brunet glanced over at the other, concern chipping away at his smile. "And everyone else?" 

"I don't really care what happens to them."

"That's a lie." Came the confident statement.

"Hm. Is it?" Came the quiet reply.

^^^

Four stood before a cluster of rocks- graves, his mind supplied -a feeling of unease rooted deep within. So many had died, it was unnerving. So many lives lost to an apparent Calamity, something they knew nothing of. Many more lives were bound to be lost with their fateful future of pain, but if they could prolong Hyrule's thriving future for just a bit longer, then it didn't matter.

"Are you here to see someone too?" A child's voice asked inquisitively, young but drained. She was small and plump, a sad smile to her lips. 

Blinking down at her, his violet eyes flickered back to the cluster. "Yeah..."

The girl nodded in understanding, standing by his side with eyes of longing. "Koko believes they'll be happy now." She spoke, a crack to her strong voice. "As long as they're remembered, they'll never fade..." 

"I... The person you're visiting must be so proud of you." 

The girl, Koko he supposed, stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. "Mommy always told Koko that crying was to be strong... Crying was something to be proud of... But Koko can't cry, doesn't want to." She admitted, smiling sadly.

He gave a simple nod. "They may still be proud of you, regardless."

"Koko doesn't mind, Koko's not someone to be proud of. But Koko's fine with that, Koko knows there's more important things happening around our world. Koko can't be selfish, not now, not ever, because crying only makes everyone worry." 

He watched her, a lump in his throat as her words spilt over and lingered in the air with a heavy presence. 

^^^

As night slowly creeped upon them, Time perched himself on a cliffside, listening to the passing conversations. At his side sat Twilight, the boy's ears flicking with each passing word, hands wringing together painfully. 

"I don't like this place..." Twilight muttered finally, forcing himself away from endless talk.

Flickering his lone eye to the young protégé, Time gave a noise of agreement maybe.

"It's... Heavy with magic..." He continued, pulling at barren grass idly. "Like it has a purpose... To end something... Maybe... I don't know."

"We shouldn't remain here too long." 

Sighing, the fur pelt hero stood up, eyes brushing over the village. "Hopefully. With our luck, we might be stuck here for a while." 

Watching him stalk off, Time blinked once more down at a small child running with nimble grace. "I hope not..." He muttered to himself, deciding to return to the inn.

^^^

Warriors sat in the inn, looking through paintings upon paintings, soft strokes of the brush bringing this Hyrule to life. 

"You remind me of Link when I met him first, unaware and confused of everything." The painter confessed, a soft smile to his lips. "If you get the chance, you should see these places. Hyrule's such a beautiful place, it's a shame what's happening is happening."

Blinking, his eyes shifted up to the painter, curious. "Everything happening?" He parroted.

The man merely laughed, catching the sleeping innkeeper's attention. "Sorry, don't mind me, he's just unaware of everything."

The innkeeper blinked slowly, amusement seeping into tired hues. "Mmm... Imagine..." 

Chuckling, the painter simply nodded. "It's everywhere in Hyrule, it's hard not to know what's happening."

Nodding, Warriors gave a forced chuckle, smile pained.

^^^

Wind dragged Sky out of the village, leading down a narrow path. "Wind! Where are... Where are we going? Can we... Slow down... I can't... My chest hurts... Give me- just a moment... Please." The Skyloftian pleaded, huffing with fatigue. 

The youngest paused abruptly in his steps, turning to face Sky. "Sorry. I just- There's something here." 

"It's- It's fine... I just... Give me a second. What did you- you even find?"

"Oh! Well I'm not sure, so I was hoping you could help. I tried cutting it but its stuck to my sword and took it." 

Furrowing his brows in concern, the Master Sword wielder took in a gulp of air, nodding his head as they set off again. A horse and its rider all but leapt past them, quick with pounding feet. His hazy hues drifted along the formed walls, stone protruding and decorated with something that looked like blood. 

"There! Look!" Wind's voice boomed, pointing at the oozing sludge of purple mass. It clung to the walls, bubbling with life as it wrapped around that of a horse corpse, Wind's sword melting slowly. "See? It took my sword!"

Looking away from the sight, Sky managed a simple nod, eyes soon landing on a hooded silhouette. 

"Do you think it'd burn?" Wind asked, hand reaching out to grasp the odd substance. 

"Wind no! Don't-!" 

^^^

Gloved hands tugged the boy away from the hissing creation. "Wha- Hey!" Wind shrieked, pulling himself away. 

"Oh! Wild!" Sky blurted out in surprise, straining a smile. "Sorry, we were... Uh.. Wind's sword is in there so... We thought we could get it back."

'You can't.'

"What?! Why not?!" Wind asked incredulously. 

'Dangerous. I... I can grab it, just don't touch this.' He motioned to the goop. 'It's Malice.' He told, flexing out cracking fingers. 

"Woah! You're gonna shove your hand in there?!" Wind's booming voice asked curiously, eyes wide. 

Pausing, Wild nodded his head slowly before plunging his hand deep within tainted Malice. It coiled and gurgled, grasping the arm and the sword. "Ah! Isn't that dangerous?! Your arm!" 

His fingers coiled deep into the substance, groping around for the familiar golden squish of an observing eye. It blinked as his fingers grazed over its wide eye. Grasping it, he gave a testing squeeze, watching the Malice roar and envelope his arm in anguish. Another squeeze and he listened to Sky fret. One more squeeze and he became bored of playing, feeling the thick substance ooze through gloved fingers, sparking and shocking, but numb to his hand. 

They watched the Malice contort with rage, lurching towards the hooded hero only to spark and sizzle, leaving nothing but molten ash in its wake. Wind's sword clattered lifelessly to the floor, the bones of a fading horse crumbling into nothing but dust. 

"I-.... Are you okay?!" Sky asked, stepping closer to the hero out of concern. 

'I'm fine.' 

^^^

Midnight passed with ease, the eight travelling heroes trying to sleep in the inn. 

Outside, the faint sound of chatter kept them awake, their eyes drawn to the sky. 

"Will it come again?" Someone asked faintly.

"That moon? Only once a month."

"Didn't you see it two weeks ago? A crescent moon... Burning with power..."

"Shh... We can't show fear, not around Link. We'll prolong the prophecies as much as possible."

"It's too late..." A final voice broke through, familiar as Impa's granddaughter, Paya. 

And as though Hylia heard their words, the sky cried, rain penetrating around them, roaring and rumbling with the cries of the Sheikah. 

^^^

He walked with a purpose, strides made of false confidence, quick and light. He had to be swift with the visit to Hateno.

Behind him, Warriors caught up to his strides, eyes wandering the open area around them. 

Passing travelers, the group behind the two watched as a stranger flailed their arms around, voice loud and boisterous. Wind's laugh caught their attention, Wild and Warriors pausing in their steps and joining the group. "He looks odd." Came the simple remark from Wind only to be elbowed by Four.

"Listen to my words, my words blessed by Hylia herself!" The stranger called out, grinning wide at the growing attention from not only the group of nine but passing travelers. "Listen to me, not our Queen! She'll end Hyrule and all its glory! The end is near! The Queen lies to us! Lies about a thriving future, but it's for naught as we've been condemned to a fate of suffering while we remain!" They called out, an uproar passing amongst the stray travelers. "The old King will rise! And Hyrule will pass!" 

A traveler, having paused on her horse, let out a shrill cry. "So what if the Queen lies?! So what?! Let us live in ignorance! Let us live in fleeting peace!" 

"You accept her as your Queen?!" The stranger cried back, bewildered. "Her reign should be over! The Kingdom itself has fallen!"

"I accept our Queen for she sacrificed everything with the hero! She sacrificed everything for Hyrule! She deserves this more than anyone!" 

Another passerby cheered. "For Queen Zelda and her supreme reign!"

For the empty Hyrule, its people sparked to life, screaming at the stranger as he defended his words. "Shut your mouth traveler! You're as bad as the Yiga! The Yiga, I say!"

"You're all delusional under her influence!" Came the shriek of a retort. 

"We say you're as bad as the Yiga! We accept no Yiga, no betrayals to the throne! Hang your head in shame!" The shrill cry of the female traveler split through the cheers.

"The Yiga?! If I were a Yiga, I'd kill you all! Killed! You turn your back on Hyrule and its rightful ruler- the fallen King!"

"Our rightful ruler is Queen Zelda!"

"All hail King Ganon and his soon return!" 

"All hail Queen Zelda and her eternal reign!"

Sighing, Wild nudged Hyrule, motioning for him and the group to leave. "Oh right, c'mon guys, we... We're leaving." Hyrule muttered to the group, dragging their attention away from the growing argument. 

Warriors steered the youngest away from the argument, keeping him from tripping up as his murky browns watching with avid attention. 

Ignoring the people, Wild slipped past them, the group quick on his heels to avoid losing him. "So uh... What was... What was that about?" Sky asked curiously, squinting through hazed hues. 

'Nothing. Just disagreements.'

His hands fell limp at his side, stalking away from the shouting. He just needed to get to Hateno- get rid of these heroes. If he got rid of them, he could slip away. "Perhaps... They're the reason you must stay." Mipha called out, appearing at his side, drifting aimlessly. 

Daruk rolled ahead of him, grinning. "C'mon little guy! You were never one to turn down an adventure! And these," His arms swept wide across the group. "these are your brothers, closer than any brother us Goron could be." 

"Yes, they're here for you. They're heroes, they must've suffered similar fates to yourself."

Ignore, ignore, ignore.

At his blanching thoughts, Mipha wilted. The two spirits never left his side however, stretching out their faded limbs. 

"As spacious as having so many souls is, it's really bad for joints." Daruk muttered to himself, stomping around the area to loosen up his muscles. How it worked was beyond Wild, and he could no longer ask Zelda due to convincing her the spirits had long since passed.

'Hateno Village is... Two days from here... Maybe.' 

"Two days? Camping would be in our best interest." Time called out, eyes piercing the hidden hero.

Shifting awkwardly, Wild pulled out his slate. He'd thankfully prepared spare rice balls, something that would surely be welcomed by the group. Letting them appear, he passed them around, receiving many muffled thanks.

Dropping his own rice ball back into his slate, he tucked it away, listening to the quiet whine from Mipha. "Still no appetite? Is... Is it because we're here? We can leave, you must be starving by now." 

Ignore, ignore, ignore.

Mipha sighed, drifting further from the group and instead taking her own leisurely wander, Daruk rolling after her. She gave a distant shriek of laughter, much better than that of her wails of before. 

Ignore, ignore, ignore. 

He just had to get to Hateno. Let him get to Hateno. Please Hylia, let them leave without him.

~~Hylia ignores his calls, ignores, ignores, ignores.~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was enjoyable, kinda hate it because i couldn't get it right so I just went with passing conversations- next chapter shall be the potential visit to Purah :3 I am really sorry for this, its awful, worse than other chapters, but yknow, its something
> 
> Yall are so sweet, your support is a blessing. I dont deserve any of yall, your comments made me sob honestly, they were so damn sweet and encouraging and i dont understand why anyone would read this
> 
> Im apologizing in advance (ive settled on the entire plot and pieces of future chapters) and while this story is meant to revolve around Wild and his suffering, the entire thing is more set on Hyrule and its ages and its upcoming fate. Theres details thatll be hidden within chapters about what'll happen (a lot of you might have a general idea but i like to make things confusing and painful).
> 
> This chapter was a pain, I admittedly wrote this three times, and none were satisfactory. This draft is much more my favourite amongst the three as it flowed a bit better than just skipping ahead to a new Hyrule or meeting Zelda with the crew.
> 
> Quarantine has been lifted now for the most part, but im hoping i can keep to my schedule of my Tuesday Trash writing for this- and my Thursday Trash writing for my other story. 
> 
> Please dont be scared to leave comments and feedback,,, I appreciate them a lot and theyre one of my biggest motivators (other than just having so many overflowing thoughts for this and how i can ruin everyones lives).
> 
> AAAAAAAAA THE BOTW2 TRAILER!! OMIGOOOOOD DID YALL SEE IT?! WILD ANGST WILD ANGST WILD ANGST! AHHHHHHH!!!!


	8. Split

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || Pain crawled up his torso, curling in his chest and tightening viciously. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop dee-doo back at it with another chapter,  
> heck your comments are so sweet, thank you for all the support
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes (i havent proof read it as much as i want to, life's being hectic!)

**Shredding...**

As though the Goddesses found pleasure in his suffering, every ligament in his body shook with agonizing pain similar to that of being torn apart little by little. His mind, unsafe and lost, began to writhe with anguish, melting into nothing and stitching itself together only to be picked apart once more. He felt nonexistent.

Trying to piece his shattered mind back together, he remembered the faint distort of sound beneath him, oozing darkness swirling where a path once lay, red eyes watching with wicked glee in the distance.

Beyond that memory was nothing but pain and confusion.

His eyes fluttered, a whirlwind of bright lights flooding his vision causing them to close once more, body swaying. His senses were pinpricked with unease, attentive and alert in every uncomfortable way- he hated it. The rush of adrenaline coursing through his once faded veins filled him with life, gleeful and intoxicating- he loved it.

"Did we-?" A voice, too loud and echoed, asked with a startle. Four, his mind supplied, eyes opening and readjusting with slow ease.

Time, in the corner of his peripheral, glanced over to the shortest, giving him a firm nod. "We've switched. Is everyone here?" He asked, momentarily glancing over at his protégé hunched over.

Four shook his head, eyes swirling with clashing colours, unsettled and unfocused, movements disjointed. "No we-..." His brows furrowed, eyes ablaze with blue only to fade into calming violet. "We're missing Wind, Legend, Hyrule and Warriors." His eyes clashed once more before falling closed.

"Woah- Hey!" Sky startled as the disjointed boy collapsed into him, head lolling back lifelessly.

Wild stared for a long moment before blinking in his surroundings- they were much different than what he remembered.

"Is he okay?" Twilight asked, clearing his throat and readjusting himself into a standing position, alert and worried.

"He'll be fine, he's just passed out." Sky confirmed as Time waltzed over to the deadweight boy, lifting him off the chosen hero.

Twilight gave a nod, quick to take the boy on his back with unnatural ease. "So... You really were the hero, huh?" He nodded over to the newest addition, watching as blue hues slowly drifted to him.

"Oh! You must be confused, right?" Sky asked, head tilted. He waited for no reply, instead giving a quick glance around the new place. "Like we said when we first met, we're heroes from our time- that being the past. We've switched- we don't know how -to a new Hyrule, and we usually have something to do."

Blinking, the hero of wilds gave a slow nod, not really understanding but simply wanting their attention to drift from him to something else.

Thankfully, as though Time heard his pleas, cleared his throat. "We're missing the other four heroes. It's best to assume we've been split up, finding them and shelter would be in our best interest."

Frantically nodding his head in agreement, Sky glanced around the area, eyes wide and curious. "Do you know where we are?" He asked after finding himself lost.

Glancing around at the remains of nothing, Twilight slowly shook his head. "No. No, uh, I might be wrong... But this might jus' be 'Rule's Hyrule." With an accent slowly seeping into his words, the ranch hand- a nickname Wild had heard Legend use -shifted awkwardly.

A lone eye stared up at the sky, thankfully the sun had began to rise- but that gave little comfort to the eldest. Hylia loved to ruin her loyal servants, loved to watch them suffer.

Blinking down at his slate, Wild tapped the screen a few times, watching the map contort and distort, flickering in and out. The signal flared momentarily, the map shifting ever so slightly only to crash, an error etched into the screen. Hm.

Sifting through the Sheikah Tech, he double checked on his weapons, runes, armour and materials; they were fine and continued to remain untouched. It appeared only his map was malfunctioning; perhaps Purah could help. - He never got to make it to Hateno. He never got to ask for her opinion, never got his check-up, never got to escape these odd individuals, and now he was stuck with them in the middle of an unknown area.

Oh Hylia above, please save him.

As though ignoring his prayers, a shrill shriek split through their terse silence, ears flicking back with apprehension.

^^^

As though a part of her was separated in an instant, a cry of pain threatened to spill from her chapped lips. Her arms, in desperate seek of comfort, wrapped loosely around a large lamp, cradling it close to her chest.

^^^

Barren trees, thin and frail, tainted with something thick and green, surrounding their desolate area. No other voice had been heard since the shriek, something which had become admittedly concerning to the group.

"Do... Do any of you know where exactly we are... If this is Hyrule's... Uh... Hyrule?" Sky asked, finally breaking their terrifying silence.

Time shook his head, a glance shot towards his protégé before returning ahead of them. "No, and I have doubts that Hyrule knows most of this land- he called himself a traveler, a wanderer of sorts."

"Mmm... It shouldn't be hard, right? It's a small place... Kind of." Sky mumbled, leading the group through the dying forest.

A chuff of disgust resounded from a familiar spirit- Revali, Wild mentally chided -and the Rito came floating closer to his walking corpse. "There's nothing, it's almost pitiable. No tall structures to flourish from, no creatures for miles, there's absolutely nothing. It's rather disappointing, if you think about it."

"Yeah, but he never says anythin' about the place itself." Twilight belatedly pointed out, shifting Four's weight on his back slightly. "Maybe huntin' down that scream would be a good place to start- knowing our luck, it's the other's who got caught by a monster."

Time, silent as he was, watched the sun with a careful, predatory hue. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea." He nodded to himself, eyes shifting back down to the others.

Nodding, Twilight swallowed the lump in his throat. "Well, uh.. We should- should be prepared for anything coming at us. 'Rule is usually careful around monsters, there might be something, uh, something about them." He regarded the group with a wry smile, unsure. "Y'know?"

Sky blinked at him momentarily before splitting into a grin, nodding enthusiastically. "Good point!" He watched the ranch hand's stiff posture relax slightly, shoulders still incredibly tense, but the grimace of worry had fallen away for the most part.

Clapping the boy on his arm as to not disturb Four, Time gave him a reassuring nod. "You're doing great." He commented quietly, watching Twilight give him a smile in return.

Within an instant of their silence, another shriek rang out. "We're switching again!" Came the distant warning, disgruntled and fading- it sounded like Warriors. 

Time frowned, moving closer to the other boys. "We should be careful, we don't switch this quickly." He muttered.

Wild's gaze drifted from the trees to the empty space he stood upon. The gurgles of darkness tugged at his mind, disorientating any though he tried to coherently think. 

A chuff, familiar and haughty, came from Revali, catching the newest member's attention. He puffed out his chest, glaring at the creation crawling up their legs, dragging them down. "So this is the cause of their teleportation. Hmph." 

In sparks of blue, the Rito fled, not wanting his wings ruffled. 

^^^

As darkness slowly ebbed away from his straining sight, lush greens sprawled across ahead of them. Trees of confident valor stood with warm pride.

A small distance away from them, a tumbling group slammed to the ground groaning and complaining about the harsh landing- Warriors' group. 

Wind's almost squeakily loud voice echoed as he stood up. "This is Four's place, right?!" 

Sky, righting himself up, cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yeah! Come over here, we need to find somewhere to stay!" 

^^^

Bringing back a falling land was much more of a nuisance than the pri- queen had expected. 

She'd sent word to Purah that her attendance was necessary. 

This world- her original world -was so bright, too bright. Her skin burned with growing irritancy, bubbling and boiling with purple vigor. In a way, the almost ebony purple webs looked stunning under the soft glow of the moonlight.

However, it was far from stunning.

A knock rang through the empty throne room, sleeves haphazardly being pulled down as the door peeled open with caution. "Queen Zelda..." The intruder, her head advisor (a new addition to the castle), nodded his head to her, walking closer. "As of late, we've received reports of odd fractures splitting apart Hyrule even more than originally." 

Her eyes shifted down to the lamp settled in her lap, hands brushing over the electrifying currents of a teal glow. "When will Purah arrive?"

Blinking, his eyes flickered over the journal in his hands. "With urgency, she's to arrive in five days time."

"How long does it take to get to these oddities and back?" 

"Three days, your majesty."

A wicked grin split over her face. "Well then, I suppose we have time to quench my scientific adoration." 

The man gave a curt nod, helping the Queen stand on unsteady legs. Her royal blue dress flooded to the floor, old from when she bore it in her past. Beneath it, the rebellious ruby glow of Sheikah Tech went unnoticed by the man.

^^^

Pain crawled up his torso, curling in his chest and tightening viciously. He ignored the burning sensation, instead focusing on cleaning up his remains of breakfast and the rays of light.

This Hyrule almost seemed alive with scuttling life, hidden within the crevices of the world. Hm

Four stretched out his body, more awake than before. "We should go see Dot- uh, Zelda." He corrected himself as he regarded the group. "That was we can catch up with what's happening here and get a general gist of where we're going."

Hyrule nodded slowly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Uhm... I was... Don't you think it was weird? Switching away...?" 

Glancing at the traveler from the corner of his eye, Legend hummed. "Mmm we'll probably be thrown back there, knowing Hylia. She can't make up her mind, but when has she ever?" He sighed, arching his back backwards until he heard the satisfying pop of his back.

After a few lingering moments, the group set off with Four leading. 

Wild lingered back, eyes settling on the the surrounding area. Perhaps his Zelda would like to see this... _His Zelda_... Being here was beyond odd, unsettling in more ways than one. 

Shaking away his thoughts, he fished out his slate, flicking through the runes before selecting the bright green camera. Capturing the scene of passing winds, entanglements of grass and dancing trees, he held the slate close to him.

As long as this wasn't a trap of sorts, he'd capture all that he could of their past. He'd capture it all for the short remaining future of Hyrule, so they could piece back together their knowledge and leave it for a distant future to find. 

If that ever happened.

^^^

Predatory blue hues watched the newest member from afar, observing how he captured moments on his device with ease. 

Odd.

"You okay, Pup?" Time's voice split through his observation, capturing his attention. His brow was raised in curiosity, watching the younger blink at him once, twice, thrice before startling.

"Oh. Oh! No, I'm fine, nothin' to concern yourself about, Old Man. I was lost in thought is all." 

Time hummed, hand resting on his protege's shoulder. "Rupee for your thoughts?"

"It's was nothing, just the new guy."

Blinking at the honesty, Time glanced over to the boy barely constraining himself from wandering. 

Following his gaze, Twilight shook his head. "There's nothing... Wrong with him, he's just... Different, kind of." 

"Different how?"

"I don't... It's not..." Twilight faltered in his steps, frowning. "He hasn't grieved since that whole incident. I... I don't sense his emotions and it's... Weird. And the way he looks so out of it..." Shaking his head, he tore his gaze away, instead focusing on the back of Four's head. "I don't like what surrounds him."

Nodding in understanding, Time patted his shoulder firmly. "We'll keep an eye on him. Maybe trying to talk to him could lessen the hostility around you."

"Ho... Hostility? Am I being hostile? Oh Hylia, that's not what I wanted, he's jus' got me on edge is all. Agh, I'll deal with it later." Twilight stressed, hands rubbing at his face furiously. 

Ahead of them, Four whistled to catch the group's attention, successfully doing so. "Alright we're... Well, we're near my place. And I guess it's easier to go there, but please don't make a mess or be too loud." 

"Woah!!! Your place? You have a place too? Do you own it, live with someone, what's it like?" Wind asked curiously, bounding over to the shorter hero and latching onto him.

"Agh!" Four stumbled forwards, weighed down by Wind to make him unsteady. "It's-" He let out a breath of relief as Wind let go of him. "It's pretty basic, I live with my grandfather. It's the best place to replenish weapons, we're smiths after all." 

Hyrule hummed, trailing after the two as they began walking. "I forgot you were a smith. So will we be getting new weapons or fixing up our current ones?"

"Mmm a bit of both probably. It'll be easier to fix them up so that all your weapons are in perfect condition. We'll see."

^^^

An elderly man was quick to greet them with soft smiles and knowing looks. "This is my grandfather, Smith, one of the greatest smiths you'll ever find." Four introduced quickly, eyes flashing lively red. The man was pulled into a hug, Smith giving a hearty chuckle. Parting from it, his eyes flashed green, nodding before slipping past him and into the house.

He gave a breathy chuckle, hobbling after his grandson. "Wont you tell me their names?"

Four hummed, laying out all his weapons on the counter. "Well, there's Wind, Twi, Time, Leg, 'Rule, Sky, Wars, and Wild." He pointed to each of them respectively, hopping onto one of the stools as the elder gave them all a polite nod of the head.

"I see. You've been gone a while, a new adventure?"

"Kinda." He replied briefly, hands dragging across the fine creases of his weapons. "We're hoping to fix our weapons and set off to Zelda tomorrow."

The man hummed, snatching one of the swords off the table and ignoring the indignant grumbles of Four. "The princess, huh? Well then, you can give her a letter for me."

"A letter?"

A wicked grin split across the wrinkled face, flicking the curious boy's forehead. "A private letter, Link."

Groaning, he shifted his attention back to the swords, eyes glistening violet. 

Smith glanced back at the group hanging around awkwardly, letting out a laugh. "Relax boys, our home is your home. A friend of Link's always has a place here." He grinned at them, "We don't bite. Well, I don't at least." He gave them a teasing wink, watching their tension slowly ease.

^^^

Four screamed bloody murder. 

The usually calm and stoic hero had screamed in frustration, startling the occupants in the house. All except Smith and Time flinched.

Smith let out a chuckle, forcing himself to stand. "Ah. My poor house." He groaned quietly, hobbling over to where the sound had came from, leaving the group in silence.

Seeing his chance, Wild slipped away, taking pictures of his surroundings before escaping outside. 

^^^

Within the midst of the night, Wild sat outside, fingers entranced by tangled shards of grass. The door opened, his ears twitching at the sound. 

Hobbling over to him, the elder sat down with careful struggle, smiling softly. "It's nice out here, isn't it?" His only response was a curt nod, barely visible under his black hood. "They said you know sign. It's okay, I know it too. Between me and you, I can barely hear what any says now a days."

Wild nodded in understanding. _'Yeah... Talking would be nice, I think.'_

"It's not what it's lived up to be. But may I ask why you hide yourself beneath the comforts of a hood?"

Blinking, he raised a hand to fiddle with the fabrics of the hood before forcing his hand down. _'It's comfortable. No expectation to look at people.'_

"Do you believe that?"

_'Believe what?'_

He ignored the sign, instead looking up to the sky. "You seek knowledge, do you not?"

Tilting his head, his eyes narrowed on the older man. _'I do. How do you know?'_

"There are many listeners, they spill your words like prophecies, and they spit on your grave. I can give you what you seek, but let Hyrule thrive."

Blinking, the Hero of Wilds stood up, taking a step back. _'It does thrive.'_

"Does it?"

_'It's people are lively. They're rebuilding civilization despite their own knowledge. We thrive.'_

"Then I shall leave a flower of condolence at your grave, I shall refuse their disdain and give you knowledge."

^^^

The Zelda of this land, Dot they had called her, listened to the chippering voices of many. They warned her of many things, but it did nothing but fuel her grin. 

When Link was back, her professionalism to the throne was always overlooked, instead allowing her to be the child she was. She couldn't wait to see her childhood friend again, couldn't wait to see what the small voices warned her of. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to wait long. It had become awfully lonely as she sat on the throne, her father had become busy with all the random monster attacks. 

Hopefully Link could save her lonesome, could bring back their peace.

And so, she prayed to Hylia for a fortunate fate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3 whoop, we're in a new Hyrule~  
> Finally, I'll slowly be able to form their relationships more!!!
> 
> Ahah fuck guess who's done a goof. Basically, i have exams soon and w exams i stress. i stress and make stories (which ive now formed a whole plot, outline and all that jazz for an LU thing) however, it also messes w my whole somewhat functioning schedule. I do however like this story ive got planned, sooooo screw it, imma make it, yknow? and guess what kinda thing it'll be! a modern au whoop.
> 
> Ahah,,, they've switched! Twice! (that'll have relevance to the story), but whoop! Ahhhhh honestly I just want to make Twi and Wild friiiiieeeeennnnnddddssss but nope, gotta make it worse before it gets better! :3
> 
> thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support and love, it means the world to me!


	9. Eye of red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || If this hero, Hyrule, was bound to kill him, he doesn't think he'd resent the boy in the slightest. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall out here making me emotional with your comments lmao  
> god i love you all, youre so incredbly sweet  
> very sorry for any mistakes

Electric blue hues stared up at the rising sun, ignoring the burning pain searing through his twitching eyes. An empty space sat cold at his side, his elderly companion having escaped back into the house a few hours prior, trying to convince the boy to sleep. It obviously hadn't worked.

Pushing his hood back, he raked a hand through loose, long locks of choppy blond hair. He ignored the tangles and dried blood smearing it, instead relishing in the free, cool air dancing across once hidden flesh. 

Huffing, he fished out his slate, looking through his slowly dwindling supplies. Flickering through it, he stumbled upon his album, eyes narrowing on the lone picture of Sidon and Dorephan standing before Mipha's statue, soft and content smiles playing on their lips. Some of the kids had jumped up to be seen in the picture, the top of Bazz's head just visible as he had tried to duck out of the picture. 

A small smile slipped onto his face, almost missing the peace they had felt in that moment. Almost. 

But now there wouldn't be that peace, not for a long while. Not when Dorephan's gnarly death was still fresh in haunted minds-.

Don't think about it.

There'd be no peace with lurking malice that seemed to snatch away people's lives-

Stop thinking about it.

Hyrule faced no peace with the increase of blood moons-

Stop it.

No peace when the hero had died a hundred years ago, left with only an imposter wearing a corpse for skin-

Stop it.

Peace never existed with a broken queen drowning in malice to simply survive-

Stop.

Peace was foreign with spider-like creatures haunting ruins-

Stop it.

Did they even deserve peace?

Stop, stop, stop it...

Forcing his hood up once more, the balls of his palms pressed furiously into the sockets of his eyes, stopping the tears from dripping down his right cheek. He didn't have time for this, to grieve, he now had a duty to uphold- saving Hyrule was more important than his whimsy feelings. More important than thinking of the death of a king he believed to be a father figure- no time, no time.

There was never any time, as though Hylia worked against him- no. No, it was all his own fault. His own fault for failing a hundred years ago. His fault for not saving Zelda sooner. His fault for not remembering quicker. His fault for not arriving at the domain sooner. His fault. All his fucking fault.

Huffing out a sigh, he slammed the ball of his palm into his left temple violently, brain wracking around with force. He was such a fuck up; another slam to the head gave him momentary relief. Again, and again, and again, his hands struck against damaged skin, ignoring the tenderness flaring. 

"You'll hurt yourself doing that." Came the familiar, soothing elder's voice. The man, Smith, must have been tired, but regardless of his fatigue, he shuffled back to the side of Wild. "I thought you'd have slept by now, but I didn't see you amongst the boys sprawled inside." 

Cracking his neck, he watched the man sit, a warm smile to his lips. _'Dangerous'_

"What do you find dangerous? Hyrule or yourself?" 

Blinking, he motioned to the world around them. _'Everything.'_

Smith hummed, fingers dancing idly in the grass. "To live on edge of everything is not living but surviving. Do you wish to breathe a life of survival or a life worth living?" 

_'There's a thrill to survival.'_ He explained, brows furrowed. 

"I'm sure there is, but a thrill lurks within living a life too."

_'Taking care of yourself isn't fun. Being idle isn't fun. Nothing's fun unless your pushing your limits'_

Smith gave an understanding nod, eyes drifting up to the sky. "As long as you don't risk it all, there's not much stopping you, hm? I suppose an old man's words don't matter much, perhaps that is why the lurkers remain disdained. Or perhaps, its for the four soul-bound spirits clinging to you."

Wild gave no acknowledgment, much to Smith's amusement.

^^^

Blinking away the sleep in his silver hues, the shortest hero's gaze flickered around his room, taking in the sight of various forms sprawled across each other. Hyrule stood by his window, eyes watching with avid attention. "Mornin'" The boy greeted with a yawn, green eyes glancing back at him.

Nodding his greetings, he pried himself out of Sky's capture, stepping over corpse-like sleepers and hopping over to Hyrule's side. "How long have you been awake?" 

"Mmm like an hour, I think. Sleeping on the bed was weird, it always is." 

"Agreed." Silver orbs flickered from the taller boy to outside, eyes landing on his grandfather sitting beside the cloaked figure- Wild. "How- uh how long have they been out there?"

Clicking his tongue, he gave a shrug. "They've been there all this time."

Yawning, the shortest gave a nod, stepping over the sleepers, making his way down stairs to the kitchen, Hyrule trailing after him. Silver eyes took a purple glint, hazy fatigue clinging more to his stiff posture. 

The small blaze of a fire lit with quick precision, a kettle placed over it with ease, the soft rumbles of water boiling soothing their quiet atmosphere. He rested heavily against the counter, eyes an indescribable colour in the lit flames. 

Hyrule watched, almost entranced by the smaller one, captivated by the sight. 

The squeal of the kettle began to whizz through the air, slicing it in half with crafted ease. Four dragged out four mugs, eyes glancing back at Hyrule, still unsettled and indescribable. "Honey in your tea?" 

Blinking out of his captivated state, he swallowed thickly, nodding his head. 

The two let out tired yawns, light splashes of honey seeping into the mugs, intermingling with the tea. Stirring them with ease, he handed to two Hyrule, taking two mugs of his own and making his way to the front door. "Wanna join them?" 

Staring down at the steaming tea, Hyrule gave a smile "Sure." 

Slipping outside, Four left the door open for anyone to join, handing a mug to his silent grandfather. Hyrule handed a mug to Wild, hesitant but smiling none-the-less.

"What were you talking about?" Four asked curiously, slumping down on the grass, the other hero quick to copy his action. 

Smith gave them a teasing grin, winking back at Wild. "Secrets, my boy." 

"Secrets? What kind of secrets would you have?" He asked with a lilt to his lips, brow raised.

A chuckle slipped past the elder's dry lips, taking a long sip of his honeyed tea. "Hm? Honey, right?" He guessed, watching his grandson give a mechanical nod. "Well, my boy, this old man is full of secrets." 

"Like your letter?"

"Like my letter."

"Of course it's like your letter." Four huffed, only receiving a chuckle in response.

Smith let out a content sigh, watching the auburn orb of tantalizing light rise higher, coating the sky is velvety sunset oranges. "Well, you'll be leaving again soon, right? All you boys traveling far?" 

Hyrule smiled at the man, taking a long sip of his tea. "Yeah, it's not bad though, we've got each other for company."

The man raised a brow at Four, only receiving a quiet shake of his head. "Hm, I see. As long as you're having fun. I'd love it if you boys stopped here a bit more often, it gets lonely in the dead of night."

"You sleep like a corpse, do you even notice the emptiness?" Four asked, a quirk to his lips.

He let out a chuckle, eyes crinkled fondly. He gave no response to the question, instead finishing off his tea and letting out a satisfied hum. "I miss you making me tea all the time. Before you boys set off, you should replenish your weapon stock."

"Yeah we will, anything you need before we leave?"

"Mmm, you could give me a hand with cleaning up the place, Hylia knows what mess is made when forging." 

Silence flooded over the group of four, watching the world around them idly, content and somewhat relaxed. 

^^^

The kettle let out a whistle of warning, Legend quick to swipe it up and make his coffee, leaving some for when Time goes for his refill. 

"When're we leavin'?" Twilight asked, walking past the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"In about two hours." Four called out from the back room, hammer reforming the shape of his sword, keeping it pristine sharp. 

Warriors danced around the wolf pelt boy, gliding down the stairs with grace, and making it into the kitchen. Purposefully nudging Legend as he held his boiling coffee, he took glee in watching it splash at the boy's hand, listening to him hiss. "Oh to Hylia hell, fuck you Wars." He gritted out, swiftly kicking the back of his knees and watching him crumble to the floor. "Dick." He muttered, stalking out of the kitchen and ignoring the withering hero.

Time let out a chuckle, taking a sip of his coffee, watching with mild amusement. 

Stumbling down the stairs, Wind pulled himself onto the counter, eyeing the coffee longingly. "You're not having any, you're energetic enough." Twilight yelled, eyeing the sailor as he began to ascend up the stairs.

"Fuck you too, Twi!" Wind called back with a glare, only to shrink back at Time's almost disapproving look.

Sky stood outside with Smith, showing him the Master Sword, grinning at the elder's complimentary comments. 

Further from the two, Wild perched himself within a tree, eyes wandering the area. A feeling of unease slowly began to bubble within his gut, for what reasons, he did not know.

^^^

Two hours he said, four hours he meant. 

Smith had forcefully ushered the young blacksmith out of the house, whacking the boy over the head lightly with his tightly sealed letter. "Any later, and you'll be leaving the princess waiting. You know how impatient that girl gets, now shoo, that letter must get to her." 

"Yeah, alright. We'll be leaving now." Four gave a nod to the man, only for two arms to wrap around his small frame, crushing him into a hug. 

"You be safe, alright? I love you kid, so much. Never forget that, yeah?" 

A grin pulled across Four's lips, the hug returned just as tightly. "Of course. We love you too, and we'll see you soon."

Smith simply gave a non-committal hum, parting from the bone-crushing hug with a smile. "You boys be safe out there, alright?" He regarded the group, gaze flickering over them individually. "Now shoo, you'll only get there late tonight."

After the ushering away, the group of nine set off to Hyrule Castle, determined to see the Princess Zelda of this land, or as the group called her, Dot. 

^^^

Surprisingly, their walk went without a hitch. No monsters lurked, the reassuring scuttling of unseen creatures confirming it. Four wondered idly why they'd been sent here, not that he was complaining, but there'd been no outbreak in monsters yet. Yet, he reminded himself.

Hyrule itself was stunning, not quite made up of tall structures, but decorated with life. There wasn't a corner unseen without people, chatter loud and lively. Boisterous arguments spread out amongst Hyrule, cheers of onlookers riling them up more. 

It was almost comical to Four. Almost. Had it not been for the gentle reminders that they weren't here to enjoy the arguments, Four might have lingered just a little longer. 

"It's nice here." Sky smiled at Four, sidling up to the smaller hero's side. 

As they walked closer to the castle, a few guards gave a gentle nod in his directions before turning away and watching with amusement as children scuttled through the open area, trying to get closer to the castle. "Yeah, I guess it is. I didn't really spend much time here after my journey, I'm a blacksmith so I'm not by Zelda's side." Four confessed, taking in the life around them. 

The group behind them did their own thing, reveling in the life spread around them. 

^^^

Hyrule dropped back beside Wild, smiling at the startled boy. "Hey."

_'Hi?'bu_ "Sorry, you looked peaceful back here and they're all kinda..." He waved a hand around at them in a general motion. "Y'know?" Despite Wild's nod, Hyrule didn't exactly believe the ther understood but dropped it. "I... Well, we don't talk much, but you can call me 'Rule."

Blinking, Wild tilted his head. _'I know your name?'_

"Huh? Oh yeah, no, I know that, it's just-... When I met them, they said it's polite to introduce yourself so..."

Letting out a hum of understanding, Wild cracked his knuckles. _'I'm Wild, then.'_

Grinning, Hyrule nodded elatedly, pointedly ignoring the glances some of the group shot them. "So, how do you like it here? It's loud, right?"

_'Very.'_

"Mhm, thought so. My Hyrule, the place we briefly went to, it's pretty deserted. There's no one, really, not for a while anyways. So it's odd here, seeing it lively and unimaginably amazing."

Wild blinked, nodding. 

"Sorry, am I being annoying?"

_'No, it's pretty.'_

Flushing lightly, he raised a brow at the other. "Pretty?"

_'Pretty. Kind. Unbothering?'_ Wild frowned beneath his hood, wringing his fingers momentarily. _'You're pretty?'_

"Thank you?"

_'Okay.'_

Blinking at the hero, Hyrule nodded his head, confused beyond belief but not quite willing to break their almost relaxed atmosphere. 

Fishing out his slate, Wild snapped a photo of the passing people, fascinated at how relaxed they were. "Oh? What does that do?" Hyrule asked, peering over his shoulder to look at the frozen image.

_'Photo.'_

"Photo? Like... Like Wind's pictograph?" He asked, watching the subtle shrug of the shoulders before an uncertain nod followed. "That's cool. What do you have on it?"

Smiling, he flickered through his album, allowing the other to watch. If this hero, Hyrule, was bound to kill him, he doesn't think he'd resent the boy in the slightest. Although, his blood tainting Hyrule's hands didn't exactly sit well with him, so hopefully Wild would die before the group deemed it ready to kill him.

"C'mon little guy, maybe they're not here to kill you!" Daruk's voice reverberated around Wild's mind, splitting his thoughts into two separate sides, one his thoughts, the other being the Goron's.

^^^

Four greeted the guards with ease, motioning for the group to follow behind him as they slipped inside the castle. Following the bright red carpet leading them to the throne room, Wild captured the area with awe. 

"Link!" A voice, soft and mellow, but loud and boisterous, split through the group's silence. "Link, you're back! Or, rather, Four I suppose." The owner of the voice rounded around the corner, long blonde hair flowing after her. 

She was cute, glowing with eccentric glee, but small like a child. Her dress, a vibrant pink, was lifted off the ground by her balled up hands as she sprinted down the hall. Letting go of her dress, she pounced on Four, grinning as he spun around with her a little. Letting go, she took in a breath, eyes drifting to the lingering eight. "Friends? You- You've brought friends? Aha..." Her brows furrowed, spinning back to face Four. "When the fuck did you get friends? You! The anti-social hero of Hyrule, has made friends other than me!" She shrieked, a grin giving away her tease, as she pointed at him. She purposefully ignored the group's startle at her words.

He gave a grin, whacking the girl with Smith's letter in a familiar way. His tongue stuck out at her, a childish front the other's hadn't quite witnessed. "Shocking, isn't it? I have more friends than you. Who'd have thought?"

"Oh you little pipsqueak!" She growled, tackling him into another hug. "It's wonderful to see you, Link-er Four. It's been months since you parted ways from here, and Hylia knows how dreadfully boring it's been without you."

Four smiled, returning the hug. "I'm glad you missed me, sorry we were gone long."

"You better be, I was worried!"

"Sure you were, I bet you just wanted time away from responsibilities."

"Well... That is always a positive thing, but! But that's not the entire reason, I do miss you! You're my partner in crime!" 

Time cleared his throat, raising a brow at the two.

Her eyes widened, parting from the hug and flattening out her dress. "Oh! Dearest friends of Link- Four, you must be tired after your long journey. I received a brief letter about your circumstance," She admitted, beginning to lead them down the hall with an air of professionalism, the sudden change giving some of them whiplash. "However, I've noticed there's nine of you, when only seven others were mentioned."

"We gained a new member during that time."

"Of course you did. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all," She glanced back at them with a smile, pushing open two large doors to an open dining room, a large center table filled with ten seats on each side and a two head seats at the table. "you may call me Dot, a childhood name from Four which seems to be my given nickname now." 

"A pleasure to meet you, Princess Dot?" Warriors greeted.

A smile split across her lips. "Now that's a cute name." She confessed, scuttling over to a head seat and motioning for the other's to take their pick. Four sat at the closest seat to her left, a child on her right. "Warriors, am I right?"

Blinking away his surprise, he sat beside the child. "That you are."

She gave a grin, eyes flickering over the group. "Time, correct?" She asked, eyes zoned in on the eldest with his markings glinting almost mockingly on his face. "Your armour must be heavy, would you like to remove it, or are you comfortable?" 

Warriors was first to shed some of his armour, relishing in the comfort. Slowly, the rest began to remove their armour with hesitance, some not having worn armour originally. . 

"I.. Thank you for your hospitality. And you're correct, my name is Time, a pleasure to meet you."

"Please, spare me the formalities. When Link- Four," She corrected herself with a chastise. "is here, I am free to drop my regal form. So please, think of me as a friend than royalty."

"Of course."

The child on her right gave a laugh. "He's just formal like that all the time."

"I see, my apologies. Well, if you're Time, then..." Her eyes flickered around, landing on the other boy with darker markings on his forehead. "You must be Twilight."

"That I am."

"You bear markings, both of you. Is it heritage, perhaps?"

"No." Their response was eerily synced.

She gave a smile. "Of course not, I'd doubt heritage could produce such things. Well, you must be Wind?" She asked, eyes shifting back to the child.

"Yup!"

"A pirate." She hummed, watching the boy light up. "What pride you must hold."

Four sighed, kicking her leg beneath the table. "Stop stealing my friends."

Her smile turned to a wicked grin, eyes narrowing on her friend. "You think it's working? Honestly, they need better standards than hanging out with you." She kicked him back, taking glee in his grunt. "Well, I suppose you both are Hyrule and Legend." Her gaze turned towards the two sitting beside Four respectively.

"How'd you know?" Hyrule asked, eyes wide as he watched her curiously. 

"Well, I was given a brief explanation and depiction of you all, expect your newest member. I'd love to be able to talk to each of you alone, individually tomorrow. You'll be staying the night, right?" She asked, gaze moving back to Four.

His eyes pointedly shifted to Time, brow raised. Her gaze followed after. "Right?" She asked him, watching him blink slowly. 

"As long as we don't intrude."

"Of course not! Don't be silly! You're welcome to stay for however long!" She smiled, eyes flickering over the remaining two. "Bears a white cape of sorts and wields the original Master Sword-" She hummed. "Then you must be Sky, and you must be the newest member."

Sky gave her a smile. "Hello. It's nice to meet you. And this, this is Wild." He motioned to the boy sitting beside him.

She smiled at the two. "A pleasure to meet you all. You've arrived so late, Four. Unlike you, I actually have a functioning sleep schedule, and I refuse to have you throw it off course once more. So, how about we set you boys up with some rooms and we'll see each other tomorrow?"

"So soon, you're going to sleep?"

"If you'd arrived earlier, we could have had more time together. I bet you were distracted by making something- oh I know that look, you were! You totally were! Why are your swords always more important than me?" She asked with a groan, pouting at her friend.

"They don't complain."

"Fucking fight me," She glared childishly. "I at least breathe!"

"Unfortunately."

Her brow raised at him, challengingly. "Sorry, what did you say? I thought I heard you insult me, but I must be mistaken."

With a smile, he stood up. "You're going deaf, princess. I'd never insult you."

"Wonderful!" She grinned, clapping her hands as she stood up. The double doors pushed open, maids peering around at her. "Oh wonderful! Please, see to it that my guests receive comfortable rooms and beds for the night!"

"Of course, Princess Zelda."

^^^

Letting out a sigh, the princess peeled open the letter in her hands, eyes flicking over the details with urgency. 

"Oh Holy Hylia... A lie, this must be..." She muttered to herself, legs carrying her off her throne and instead to her father's study. Knocking, she slipped inside without waiting for a response, slamming the letter before the man. "Father..."

"Zelda? Shouldn't you be asleep? And I've told you this before, it's rude to storm into my study without a response."

"Father, forgive me, but Smith has given me a letter. A concerning one, for that matter."

"Oh? What has he spoke of now?"

"He says... He's given us a goodbye, and... And he speaks in a riddled message."

Snatching up the letter, the man scanned over its contents, narrowing his gaze on the coded message at the bottom. "I'll send this to my advisor, get some sleep dear."

^^^

Midnight struck, a knock reverberating throughout a lonesome home. An elderly man opened the door with a warm, greeting smile, allowing the strangers inside.

They stood in the kitchen as the man began to prepare some tea, limbs of darkness clinging to them, grinning mockingly at the back of the man. 

The shriek of the kettle pierced through the air.

A carefully crafted sword hid behind the counter of the kitchen, hidden from the elder's view. 

Despite his back turned, he bore a sad smile, eyes closed. The fire roared before him.

The kettle whistled with wariness, rumbling and bubbling, smoke slowly coating around it.

A swift, articulated cut crossed through the man, the kettle blocking out his gargles of agony. His knees buckled beneath him, hands grasping for support, knocking the kettle over as the crumbled lifelessly. Peering down at him, the mysterious figures bore white masks, sharp red lines of a hollowed eye, three triangles hanging beneath it.

The fire cried out with anguish as the cycle began anew, the death of those the hero loved, appreciated, listen to, began to spread like a plague. Their blood was on the hero's hands, preparing him for an adventure he was destined for once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oop- lmao sorry not sorry 
> 
> !!! I'd like to say, the conversation between Hyrule and Wild will be looked into more (the part where they both seemed confused and Hyrule got called pretty, cause he's a pretty boy). There is a reason for that, which is due to a mental condition, it does get looked into more, im just lightly brushing up on this :)
> 
> Dot's great, dont get me wrong, but writing royalty is hard af. I like making her a more childish character who can actually make Four a lot more relaxed. Each Zelda seem very different from each other, their wisdom comes in many different ways and ill be touching up more on that next chapter. I also believe that a lot of them probably hate being royalty for the tight leash theyre on and how theyre forced to play a part in a prophecy.
> 
> you might be able to guess who the last characters were and hopefully youll know which wonderful hero im talking about :) that'll also hold an important part lmao 
> 
> Some updates might be slow, exams are a pain and i need to study since im a dumbass with no actual knowledge, but there will still be chapters, just probably missing every so often.


	10. Protection from a corrupted evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || From afar, a familiar beeping noise caught her attention, a target settling comfortably on her stomach. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned  
> Am sorry  
> Please enjoy  
> Sorry for any mistakes,,,

He's never ignored the voices scuttling around; hidden in grass, behind shelves, popping up in trees and hats. He never ignores them. Never. Not even when they're making stories up, not even in the dead of night when he's trying to sleep, not even when he's enjoying the peaceful noise of forging a weapon. 

And yet, as midnight rolls around, he ignores their screams. Ignores their remorse, their rambled apologies, their tugging on his limbs, because he doesn't understand it. He doesn't understand why they're wailing, why they're fiercely tugging at him, and half of him doesn't want to know. So he doesn't listen.

Doesn't listen, even though he knows he'll regret it later in the day. 

Doesn't listen to how they blubber quietly, cradling each other as a big family, hiding away from his prying silver hues. He doesn't listen to how they fall silent as he slips away into a dreamless sleep, doesn't listen to how they scuttle away from him and over to another.

And perhaps, that was his biggest mistake that night. Perhaps he'll learn to listen regardless of what he wants. Or perhaps, he'll stop listening completely, ignoring their pity.

^^^

Electric blue hues watch Four, watch as he swats something away and covers his ears, slipping away into sleep. The smaller boy curls into himself, face convulsing into something akin to regret and pain.. 

Holding his slate close to his chest, his eyes glaze over the group with incredulity. His legs are moving before his mind catches up, slipping out of the room, and pacing down the hall. He watches the map twist and contort violently, before settling on recalibrating. Odd, he wonders what recalibrating meant. Perhaps his Zelda would know. 

A door peels open with a quiet creak, tired green hues peering at him as he freezes mid-step. "Hero of Wild..." The princess, Dot, greeted quietly, stepping out of her room. Her pink dress once bunched up, falls down to her knees instead of billowing at her feet. Her eyes are puffy, he notes, but thinks nothing of it. 

He simply gives her a nod, taking a step back away from her, prepared to spin around and sprint out of the door. 

"Are you leaving?" She asked, hand rubbing her throat tenderly. She blinked at him, patiently waiting for a reply he cannot give.

His eyes dart down the hall before returning to the girl before him. He does not know what to say to her, he fears his words wont catch up and he'll spill nonsense from busted lips. So instead he gives her a smile, ignoring the discomfort of old burnt flesh rubbing raw on his cheek.

She ponders his silence briefly before spinning around. "Care to join me for some tea? My father always says tea helps one sleep after a long night." 

He blinks as she stalks away, leading down the split of the hall, her feet light against the ground. He follows, regardless of how he wants to run away and find a way back home, and he joins her a few steps behind.

"The castle is always so dreary in the night, everyone's meant to be sleeping by now." The princess explained with a soft smile, making her way over to large double doors. She paused, glancing back at him. "It’s hard to sleep, especially when there's always something beeping in the walls. Link- Four says I'm crazy, as does everyone else." 

She entered the dim kitchen, lights automatically flashing with life. Her hands are nimble and quick as she lights up fire beneath the kettle. 

"He says you don't speak." She starts, gaze drifting over to him as he gives a curt nod. "Are you a good listener, then? I feel as though I could spill everything before you and you wouldn't judge." She laughed, sad and longing. "I haven't felt that feeling before. Not even with Four..."

_'Im sorry..'_

Her eyes light with mirth, brow raised. "Are you... Apologising? For something that's not your fault? You're odd, you know?" 

_'Im sorry.'_

"Take a seat at the counter, won’t you?" He does as she says, because who is he to deny her, someone of royalty? "Were you unable to sleep? Or were you planning to slip out?"

He hesitates, but at her raised brow he confesses his intent of escape. She does not judge, however, as she watches his hands spin loops within the air. 

"I do the same sometimes. To escape it all. I used to slip away and visit Four and his- his..." Her throat seems to choke up, words leaving her stranded. "..We'd decorate the village and towns with mischief."

She smiles at the memory because she can't do much more than reminisce. 

The whistle of the kettle slices through the air, startling the two out of thought. "Honey?" 

_'Please'_

She pours with a smile, humming a soft tune. As the flames die out, her smile begins to slip into something akin to annoyance, fingers prodding her temples to soothe a pain unseen. 

_'Okay?'_

"Fine, fine, just-" She sighs, " _Beeping_." 

_'Beeping? In walls?'_

"Yes. Such dreadful beeping, like a build up to explode. Explode! By Farore, if not Link's rash decisions, this beeping will be the end of me."

He speaks no words as she babbles her annoyance, tugging at her hair as the steam of her tea filters into the air. 

"You're further down the line in the timeline, yes?" She asks him finally, easing her hands away from her head and down to her cup, her eyes peeled to the hooded boy before her. "Does it get better?"

He does not sign.

Her brows furrow, leaning closer to him. "I suppose not... Will you show me your face, at least?"

He does not reply.

"That's alright, we all have secrets. Hopefully the weight upon your shoulders will lessen, and you'll learn to share your burdens." She gives him a smile and sips her drink, relaxing against the counter.

She’s compelled to continue talking to the unresponsive boy, compelled to spill her guts and lay it out before him, because he seems unjudging. Like a newborn, his views aren't conceived, his knowledge is limited, and he's bound to listen more than speak.

"Will you comfort Link? When he needs it, and he will, very soon, will you comfort him?" She asks, comforted by the heavy mint of tea waving around her senses. 

_'I can't comfort anyone'_

"Anyone can comfort."

_'Unworthy, me. Unworthy. Don't understand.'_ His signing, she notices, is disjointed. She wonders why. His knuckles crack, wrist twisting idly. 

"That’s a silly view, you know? Like saying you’re unworthy to feel anything.” She mutters, taking a sip of her tea, eyes rolling shut with momentary content. “Comforting someone does not need approval, it just needs to be someone, anyone who’ll listen. And if your words don’t work, then silent support is perhaps the best thing you’ll ever do.” 

And perhaps she’s right. Perhaps she’s right that all he can give is silent support, but he doesn’t want to think about it. So he doesn’t. _'Why are you awake?'_

She blinks, startled at the change of topic, staring at his hands with a frown. "I didn’t quite catch that, sorry."

_'Awake, why?'_

"Ah. Well... I.. The beeping, partially, and well, the shadows of longing, I suppose.” She confesses with a wry smile, stepping away from the counter and instead pouring out the remains of her tea. 

She does not elaborate her words, instead she dusts her dress down and ties her locks up into a messy bun. "The sun will rise soon, we should try to gain some sleep. Don't escape, I beg." 

And so, at her words, he diminishes his plan to escape, because who is he to deny her of her request?

^^^

He didn’t sleep, eyes peeled to the shifting forms of eight. They're at peace, enjoying the relaxing sleep. But they're alert all the while, and it’s frankly rather odd, and so he continues to watch.

He waits for them to rise, and surprisingly, the brunet wakes first, eyes snapped open and peering around himself. His shoulders sag at the sight of their forms, body righting itself into a sitting position.

Mipha sits behind the brunet, watching him carefully. "Won’t you talk to them today?" Her voice is gentle and soothing but heavy with burden. 

He only feels regret as he listens to her. 

Urbosa leans against the wall near the door, drumming her fingers idly. "They sleep far too long for people saving worlds." He has to agree, because how can one stay sleeping for so damn long? 

But then again, he slept for 100 years, so he outdoes them, sadly. 

Revali huffs, flopping down beside Wild. "Make some friends, you imbecile."

"My, the loner tells the boy to make friends, what a world we live in." Urbosa hums with a teasing grin.

Revali glares and gives a snarl, it looks odd on his features. "I'd murder you if I could."

"You had the chance all those years ago, but alas, you did not. Besides, we all know I could break you like a twig.” 

"Oh shut up."

"If you had killed each other, Mipha would’ve been disappointed.” Daruk’s voice reverberated around the room as he phased through the door, peering at the group with kind, dead eyes.

"Oh, you're awake..?" The quiet voice of Hyrule filtered through the momentary ghost of a silence.

"Yes, yes, well the little fish girl can be as disappointed as she wants. I’ll find a way to silence your foul mouth.” Revali huffed, turning away from the champions and focusing on the brunet. 

"Would you like to walk around while we wait for the others to wake up?” He asked quietly, guiding himself over the corpse-like forms of seven others.

He holds his hand out to the hooded boy, smiling softly down at him from his position on the floor. 

“Accept his offer, for us.” Mipha pleaded as she drifted closer, hand coming to rest heavily on Wild’s shoulder. “Accept his offer.” She repeated, guiding the hooded boy’s hand into Hyrule’s. “Accept his offer.” She smiles, eyes soft and far too dead.

Hyrule smiles, distant but alive, and Wild wishes he could hold it close, escape the cold grasp of death. But he’ll never escape death, not with his fate, not with his damage. 

His body is lifted from the floor with ease, and the brunet guides him down the familiar hall he’d been in just a few hours prior. He’s guided to the large, heavy doors leading to the world outside. And they’re quickly fleeing the castle, slipping past guards and into the life of Central Hyrule.

“Where I come from, we’ve got nothing like this.” Hyrule mutters, eyes wide with curiosity. “My people are withering away, their happiness dwindling into nothing but ash within the failures of my world.” He pulls Wild around gently, to stalls waiting patiently for customers, to the fountains spilling its woes with pure water.

Hyrule seems to glow in the sun, like an angel, pure and innocent but corrupted by the horrors of the world. An angel, who could cleanse the world of sin, but would have to suffer by witnessing its corruption. 

Wild can only envy the other.

“I’m sorry you were dragged from your home.” Hyrule starts, but Wild silences him with a wave of his hand. “... I am. I really am sorry, but it’s for the greater good, right?” 

A greater good. Wild mulls over the idea, but doesn’t agree with Hyrule’s sentiment. Because no matter what they do, Wild will only ruin it. Wild will bring the world of Hyrule down with corruption, and put its people out of misery. 

Because that’s for the greater good.

Hyrule tugs Wild across Central Hyrule with child-like wonder, pulling him to stands full of amulets of ivory and emerald. “Beautiful, aren’t they?” The woman running the stall asks, catching their attention. Her fingers graze over the creations, watching them glisten with something ethereal. 

“Do they do anything?” Hyrule asked, enthralled by the amulets. 

The woman grinned up at the brunet. “It depends on which one you’re referring to.”

His green orbs peered up at her curiously, head tilted. “The… This one,” He motions down towards the amulet closest to him, watching as it sputters green life.

Her hand, boney and withered, flitted over the jewel, her brown hues fading into haunted grey. “It offers you protection, boy. Protection from…” Her eyes flicker over to Wild before retreating back to Hyrule. “A corrupted evil. It offers to guide you, guide your companions, guide you to your destination.” 

“Does it…?” The brunet asked, eyes focused on the compelling amulet. 

“It offers to share the eyes of the seeker with you, with your magic, with all you are.” The woman responds, her smile warm.

“I don’t… Have money on me right now…” Hyrule admits and shakes his head, releasing himself from his hypnotised stupor. “I’m sorry.”

“Not even a dime?”

Wild watches, curious as Hyrule sags and shakes his head. His eyes don’t seem to leave the amulet. _‘How much?’_ He signs, catching the woman’s eye.

“Apologies, I don’t- Sign is not my strongest point.”

Hyrule glances up, eyes flickering to Wild’s hands as he signs slower. _‘How much?’_

Her smile turns into a wolfish grin, leaning closer to the hooded boy but remaining distanced all the while. “1,000 rupees.” She tells, as though the amount is far too much for children like them.

“1,000? For an amulet…” Hyrule muttered, taking a step away and moving to tug Wild with him. 

His slate, however, flickers to his hands, fingers tapping away with disinterest. The slate flashes and slots itself away at his side, a bag of rupees sparking into his palm. _‘1,000 rupees.’_ He signed, a smile hidden beneath his hood. 

Hyrule’s eyes widened, as did the woman’s. “You-! No, please Wild, put the money away, I don’t, we don’t need it.”

Wild ignores the brunet, and drops the pouch into the woman’s expectant hands. She swallows and shuffles through the amount. “You…” Her eyes raised to the two boys, eyes settling on the buyer. “You’re a dangerous man, and a dangerous man with money should be kept on a tight leash.” She muttered, before smiling at the brunet. “A wonderful friend you have, I’d keep him close.” She confessed, handing the amulet over to Wild who passed it to Hyrule. 

Hyrule swallowed, nodding his head and tugging Wild away. Wild gave a fleeting nod to the woman, her eyes drawn to the topaz earrings glistening with knowledge. “Come again soon!” She called out as they slipped away, her gaze darkened, hand running over the jewels and listening to their words of magic.

Pulling the hooded hero away from the woman’s stall, he paused to face Wild, brows furrowed. “I… I’ll repay you, I promise. Thank you, so much, but you didn’t need to. We could’ve used it for something better.” Hyrule mumbled quietly, eyes glaring holes into the ground, wishing it would swallow him up already.

Wild tilted his head, stepping around the confusing hero and tugging the amulet out of his trembling hands. Wild stepped behind the quiet hero, amulet a searing cold within his gloved hands. The amulet wrapped around his neck, heavy and cold but secure. It clipped itself steadily and hung down with elegance. 

Hyrule smiled softly, hand clutching the glistening creation with care. “Thank you.” He repeated, facing the hooded boy. “Thank you so much.” His eyes closed, blissful as the swelling waves of magic enchanted itself around Hyrule’s body, steady and calming.

Looking away, Wild’s eyes captured the flash of sparking red in the distance, an almost familiar chortle of laughter nagging at his mind. He thought nothing of it.

“We should return, the crowds are getting bigger.” Hyrule mumbled, grasping Wild’s hand once more and pulling him through the forming crowds. 

Crowds filled with more people than Wild’s seen in one place. Crowds which rivalled towns in his Hyrule, and this was only the beginning. It was daunting, in all honesty, and Hyrule seemed to share that idea. 

They were quick as they pushed through people, slipping into the castle and down the hall once more. Hyrule dropped Wild’s hand, letting out a puff of air, exhausted from their short burst of a sprint. 

As Wild waited for Hyrule to recover, he let his slate capture the castle interiors, capture the engraved destinies plastered on the walls. 

Hyrule smiled at the boy, at his fascinations, allowing his eyes to wander as well. “It’s pretty, right?”

_‘Pretty, very pretty.’_

“Let’s see if the other’s are awake. Hopefully not, or we’ll get the disappointed Time look.”

Wild simply tilted his head, raising a laugh from Hyrule. “We call it his dad face.” 

The hooded hero decided to push away the idea of a disappointed father, because he didn’t want forgotten memories to resurface, and didn't want to remember the boy he should’ve been.

  
  


Hyrule gave him a sweet smile, something Wild didn’t deserve, and led him down the hall and to the room they had occupied as a group.

  
  


Pushing the door open, Hyrule’s eyes met Legend’s gaze, and Time’s frown. Twilight peered up curiously and blinked at the two as they slipped inside quietly, the others remaining asleep. 

  
  


Wind curled into Sky’s side, the two comfortable despite their air of dreamy terror. Four remained curled in on himself, ears covered to block out any noise. Warriors had slipped out of the room to somewhere only the awoken three seemed to know. 

  
  


Time raised a brow at the two, arms folded as he stood against the wall furthest from the door. “And you two were…?” 

  
  


“I took us out to see the stalls.” Hyrule admitted quickly, taking a seat beside Legend on the bed. 

  
  


Legend peered at Hyrule curiously, fingers tugging on the amulet around his neck. “And you bought a necklace? With what money? Why?” He asked, eyes narrowed as they flickered between the two boys.

Urbosa flickered into existence behind Wild, arms wrapping around his shoulders. “Tell them you bought it, I’d like to see their reaction.”

  
  


Blinking, Wild raised his hand. _‘I bought it for him. It wasn’t much.’_

  
  


Icy blues narrowed on Wild, before returning to the glistening green draping down Hyrule’s neck. He tugged it closer to his eyes, motioning Twilight closer. “C’mere country boy, you’re sensitive to magic.”

  
  


“You think it’s magic?” Twilight asked as he gave the jewelry a cautious look.

  
  


Urbosa hummed. “Perhaps they believe you’re trying to curse their little boy.” She grinned, leaning close to his ear. “You only ever seem to curse yourself, however, kiddo.”

  
  


And sadly, the Gerudo woman was correct.

  
  


Twilight gave a tentative twirl of the necklace, face pinched with wariness. “It’s loud.” He muttered, raising his predatory hues to Hyrule’s calm ones. 

  
  


“The woman said it’d protect us from an evil, said it’d guide us, said it responded to me.”

  
  


“And you believed her?” Warriors asked as he entered the room, arms crossed as he joined them on the bed. 

  
  


“Of course I did, it was calling me.”

  
  


“What if it were cursed?” Time asked from the corner of the room, eye watching them.

  
  


Hyrule frowned. “I would’ve dealt with it.”

  
  


“And if you were unaware?” 

“Then I… Someone would’ve noticed a change.”

  
  


“What if we were too late to see the change? We would’ve been one man down in this fight.” Warriors told, leaning back against Twilight. 

  
  


Swallowing, Hyrule shook his head. “But it’s not. And I’m fine. I like it, a lot, and I’m glad Wild bought me it.” 

  
  


Legend huffed, letting go of the jewel and letting it hit back against Hyrule’s chest. “Alright, alright. It seems fine, just be more careful.” He ruffled Hyrule’s curled locks, before flopping back against the bed, shoving Warrior’s legs to hand over the bed.

  
  
  


Wild blinked at the group before slipping away and to the opposite corner of the room, closer to the window overlooking the fields of the world. Time’s gaze followed him, as did Twilight’s as he watched outside. 

  
  


The spark of red twisted in the air outside, briefly entwined with white, as it fluttered into pieces of familiar paper. A cackle of mocking laughter, drifted, a mask peering up at him with patiently cruel familiarity. 

  
  


Blinking, the familiar appearance dispersed into nothing, as though he’d hallucinated the entire thing.

  
  


The only thing that let him know it was real was how Urbosa’s face twisted into displeasure, confusion and infuriation, before she disappeared into sparks of blue. She didn’t return back to the comforts of their home of a soul, but instead far away if the tug on his mentality and soul was anything to go by.

  
  


A knock resounded, Dot peering inside with a welcoming smile. Her gaze drifted around, shaking her head fondly. “Shall we leave them to sleep for a little while longer? Would any of you like to accompany me for some breakfast?” She asked, pushing the door open a little further.

  
  


The boys seemed to mull over the idea as Wild quickly slipped out of the room, following after the princess. 

  
  


Twilight shared a look with Time, both of them deciding to follow after. Hyrule smiled, and the group of boys who were awake made their way to the dining room, taking seats at the table. 

  
  


Dot grinned, dragging Wild to sit at the seat closest to her, smiling as the other boys began to file in, leaving a seat across from Wild for Four.

  
  


The maids made their way inside, carrying plates full of luxurious meals for breakfast. “Your selections have arrived. Any requests for your drinks?” 

  
  


Dot smiled, shaking her head. “We’ll just have water and coffee. Thank you.”

  
  


“Of course, ma’am!” The workers began to scuttle away.

  
  


Dot smiled at the group, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. “Have you grabbed more weapons? Link is incredibly talented in making such sturdy weapons.”

  
  


“We have, thank you.” Time nodded.

  
  


“How long have you all been together, some of you seem closer than others.” She inquired curiously, eyes raking over them.

  
  


Sky slipped inside the room, giving everyone a passing smile before sitting beside Warriors, tired and slightly trembling. Warriors leaned closer to Sky as if to give comfort. Dot watched with a smile. 

  
  


“As a whole group, only a few weeks ago, but we’ve been accompanying each other for a little while. Wild over there only joined recently.” Twilight explained briefly, eyes watching the princesses reaction.

  
  


She merely smiled, leaning closer. “I see. Did any of you accompany my Link?”

“I did.” Sky raised his hand to catch her attention. She gave a nod. 

  
  


“I’m glad he’s surrounded by you boys. I hope you’re able to become much closer with each other.” She smiled, eyes raising as the maids came back with various options of drinks. Leaning back in her seat, she listened to the boys give their thanks and the maids scuttle away once more. 

  
  


Four and Wind finally joined the group, Wind loud as he bounded happily inside. 

  
  


“How did you all sleep?” Dot finally asked as Wind settled down beside Twilight and Four settled close to Dot. She gave a knowing nod to Wild before focusing her attention to the others. 

  
  


“I slept better than I have in a while.” Four muttered, gulping back his water. The others seemed to agree, a relief to Dot. 

  
  


“Wonderful. I was surprised you all decided to room together, ignoring the bed altogether, but I suppose none of you find comfort in it any more.” She smiled sadly at them, grasping Four’s hand in hers. “But you’ll receive your peace soon, for all the work you do, and Hyrule will one day be safe.”

  
  


^^^

Zelda crouched near the Great Plateau, peering down at the cracks splitting deep within the world. “Do we know what’s caused it?” She asked, brow raised.

  
  


“Not yet, but we’re looking into it. We thought the corruption had began to erode at Hyrule’s surface. However talking with the Sheikah, we’ve began to think otherwise.” The advisor explained, crouched down and trailing his fingers over the empty spaces on the ground.

  
  


“And what have you began to think now?”

  
  


“We think something is down there. Something is beneath the surface, and it’s trying to break free.” 

“Like the towers and shrines?”

  
  


“Maybe. We can’t be sure, not yet at least.”

  
  


“When Purah arrives, we’ll ask her of her thoughts. Send a message to Robbie, I’d like for his opinion too.” 

  
  


“Of course, my Queen.”

  
  


She shook her head, eyes drifting around the area. From afar, a familiar beeping noise caught her attention, a red target settling comfortably on her stomach.

  
  


“‘My Queen’ he says~ ‘My Queen’, no longer.” A voice cackled mockingly, a familiar flash of red and white flickering in and out of the distance.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry for not posting, my exams are kinda making everything a mess. So for the next four weeks, updates will be irregular, they wont stick to my usual Tuesday updates, and maybe I wont be able to post, but I will get back on track.
> 
> I would like to say that exams are not the only thing stopping me from continuing this often. While yes, my exams are very much interrupting my schedules, I also have a lack of love for this fic because it's just not good. So that sucks.
> 
> Part of my lack of motivation towards this is due to me hyper focusing on the process of a new, modern au fic for the LU fandom, something I'm slightly enjoying more making final things for, so I can begin to post it. Which is an odd thing to do seeing as I have exams, but it's become a stress reliever which is fun :D. It's also more fun as I've decided I wont have a set schedule for it.
> 
> Anywhoo, onto the chapter, it's kinda messy, im very sorry for that, but it's began to progress slightly (not really lmao). I hope it was enjoyable to read, I really do, but I fear it's not D:
> 
> Please consider leaving kudos and comments, I genuinely love them and they give me extra motivation. If you have any criticism (constructive not rude), please give me it :D


	11. Whispers of a ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || He tries to ignore it, he really does, but death seems so lonely. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was meant to be two separate chapters but i accidentally merged them so enjoy the long chapter ig  
> im really sorry for any mistakes, my braincells have gone bye bye lmao

Dot smiles, listening to chatter spread amongst a few of the boys. She leans back in her chair, content and relaxed, even as her father struts into the dining room without care. He doesn’t acknowledge the group, not Dot or Four, or even the maids scrambling around. 

He doesn’t regard them, so she doesn’t regard him. 

She loves him, don’t get her wrong, but as of late, they’re nothing but strangers who occasionally see each other. 

He’s resigned as he passes by, dropping a letter in her lap before escaping out into the kitchen. 

Her eyes catch Four’s watchful gaze, and she gives a smile, waving it off. She’ll savor that calm, curious look for however long she can, because soon it would turn into rotten hatred. And she doesn’t quite want to accept that fact yet, so she observes for just a little longer and prays that Din will give her enough strength to live through his hatred.

Tucking the letter away, she sips her water, relishing in the cold wave washing down her acidic throat. 

“Where are we going next, Four?” Wind’s boisterous voice caught her attention, his smile bright but tainted ugly with sin. 

Silver hues regarded the boy, his face neutral (deceitfully so), and he hums. “We’ve got most of our repairs done, so we could wander around, I suppose? Any news on any outbreaks of monsters, Dot?” Four’s attention shifts to hers, his eyes a sharp cutting edge, knowledgeable and far too dangerous. 

Smiling, she lets her index finger follow the circular ring of her cup. “No, nothing of concern. However, there were… Rumours of something lurking around Smith’s.” Her smile is feigned but it’s fine, because she’s steeling her nerves. 

Four blinks, head tilted, and he’s smart so he’ll realise she’s not telling him something, but she’s not quite ready to accept what happened. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be ready, so perhaps she’ll never utter a word of the incident again, and Four will hate her silence so much more. 

But that’s fine, totally fine, because who needs friends anyway? …

“But we’ve just come from there?” Come’s his reply, brow raised and thoughts running a mile a minute. “Surely we would have seen something.”

Her smile doesn’t twitch, it remains persistent. “Oh? Well they are just rumours.” Her eyes flicker between his eyes, watching as they flicker with green life.

“We’ll go back, make sure everything is clear and fine.” He concedes, attention shifting back to the group. “Is that okay?”

With their collective nods, it’s decided that they’ll return, and it leaves Dot’s stomach churning uncomfortably. 

“You’re not leaving now, are you? I’ve barely talked to any of you. And all the markets are open, for any of you to go visit. Please, stay just a little longer.” 

Four opens his mouth to persuade the group to not linger any longer, but the firm hand of a king is resting upon his shoulders in seconds. “Wonderful to see you again, Link. Do stay for a little longer, Zelda here has been _dying_ to be relieved from her duties for a bit.” 

It only takes another smile from Dot for Four to resign himself into staying, nodding along with the group.

“Wonderful! You came so late yesterday, I hope I can talk to all of you within the day!” She’s beaming, innocent and relieved, for very cruel reasons. 

“I guess… We’re splitting up, right?” Warriors asks, brow raised and a charming grin to his lips. 

Wind shoots him a look of disgust from across the table. “That’s your look of lonely desperation.” He comments idly, rolling his eyes when Warrior’s gives him a wink.

Legend shakes his head, standing up, ignoring the way his knees jostle and groan at the sudden movement. “Yeah, I’m not sticking around to see whatever he’s gonna do.” He waves a hand in Warrior’s general direction. “I’ll be out wandering.” 

He doesn’t linger, strides surprisingly long and quick. “Ah! Wait up, I’ll join you!” Hyrule’s scrambling to his feet, chasing down the grumpy hero. 

“They’re close, hm?” Dot comments, because it’s true, but it holds no value, her eyes are instead drawn to her father. 

“Yeah, they’ve been close since the beginning.” Sky comments, his shoulders rolling as he gives her a kind smile and a passing wave. He’s disappearing out of view, down the hall and into their shared room.

Wind’s dragging Warriors away, unconcerned with the elder boy’s complaining and stumbling. 

Twilight huffs, flexing his fingers curiously before making his way out of the castle, breathing in the cool release of air. 

The eldest gives them a curt goodbye, following after his protege with little concern. 

It’s when Wild decides to move that freedom is quickly snatched, a heavy hand stopping him in place. “Boy, I’d love to talk to you. Join me, in my office.” His voice, the King’s, is commanding, and it sends shivers down the hooded boy’s spine. 

When there’s only two left in the dining room, Dot sighs, giving a tired smile to her childhood friend. “No more expectations here.” 

“No more expectations.” Four parrots, and he smiles, because his neutral expression is relaxed and more at peace than ever. 

^^^

Wild sits, stiff and terrified, before the King. “Relax, please. I’ve simply heard you seek knowledge. Knowledge my longtime friend has granted you, regardless of nature’s disdain. I’m not wrong, am I?” He asked but he knows the answer, so he doesn’t wait for a response the hooded boy can’t give. 

Papers are sprawled across the mahogany desk, tapestries of a story unfolding just beneath. 

“Please, note down our history and all you want, as long as it’s for our future.” The King smiles, but it’s so painfully fake, and the man is walking around the desk, heavy hand placed back onto his shoulder. It makes him jump, makes him squirm, makes him want to burn the man’s hand to get it off.

_‘Thank you’_

“Oh. No, no, don’t thank me. If it were my decision, I’d listen to nature’s screams and get rid of you.” The man gives him a grimace, removing his hand and dusting down his royal outfit. His frown worms itself back into place. “You, boy, are not welcome into this world. The dead should remain dead, and the sin in your body should be cleansed. May the goddesses give sympathy to you.”

And oh, that hurts, so much, but it’s fine. It’s fine because he’s not wrong. 

The King smiles, and slips away with ease. 

Revali leans heavily against the desk, scowling at the door. “A disgrace of a King, hm? While you may be a ruffian, you're not infuriating enough to receive such behaviour.” He crooned, feathered hands crossed in disappointment.

_‘Sorry. He's right.’_

“You've been given another chance, Link, don't waste it on self pity.” 

Right, he took his friend's second chance, stealing it for himself yet wasting away. Ha. How pathetic of him…

Swallowing thickly, he fumbled with his slate, lighting up the camera rune and directing it down at the years of history he forced his Hyrule to forget. 

^^^

Staring down at the target settled comfortably on her, she blinked slowly, brain uncomprehending.

They were all meant to be deactivated. She had personally gone around to do so. There had been no complaints of moving guardians. None at all.

So why was one aiming its searing blast at her? Why was it crawling closer with quick precision, legs pushing against trees? 

The red beam flickered once, a familiar tune of a beeping counting down. It flickered another two times, a chortle of laughter drifting around them. 

The man, her advisor, stood up, hands grasping the queen. 

Pulling her back, he moved to hide around the tower, however the ground rumbled beneath him. “Your majesty!” He called out, tugging desperately.

The beam flickered dangerously quick.

Her advisor trembled behind her, the ground parting wide and welcoming like a hungry mouth. His limbs flailed, slipping down into the cracks, his hands still wrapped around the queen's frozen wrists.

Letting out a startled squeak, her weight begged to fall back into the hole with her advisor, her mind lagging behind in a stupor of fear.

Squeals and shrieks of bokoblins tumbled in, weapons drawn and beady eyes observing. Behind her, the advisor clambered away from the hole’s grasp, tugging at the queen to move away from the growing creatures and focused target. 

But she didn’t. Her legs remained stuck in place, eyes forced to drift to the bokoblins as they formed a barricade between herself and the target. 

The familiar blast of searing hot pain tumbled at the barricade, sizzling the creatures into inky black soot. 

Giving a final tug at the woman, she was pulled into a sprint away from the corrupted monsters. Her heart pounded, worming its way into her throat uncomfortably as she panted desperately for air. 

It hurt to breathe, and soon, her legs began to tire, memories desperate to resurface of a time so long ago. “I don’t… Run-... Haven’t needed to… For so long!” She complained breathily, mouth drying the longer she ran.

Stumbling for rest, she let her sprint dwindle into a fast walk, lungs greedily taking in cold air. Her advisor came to a crashing stop, head tilted back in fatigue. 

“You saw that too, right? How they… How they built a wall.” Zelda huffed out, her chest heaving heavily. 

“If I didn’t know any better, my queen, I'd say… I'd say it almost looked like they were… Protecting you.” 

A tired laugh slipped through her dry lips, hands brushing back greasy blonde locks. “That's exactly what I thought. I'll ask Purah. But my question is… Why exactly were we attacked by a guardian? The very thing that I had deactivated?!”

“I'm not sure, my queen. Once the champion returns, perhaps he will know.”

“No, I refuse to use him much more.”

“...”

“What? Do you have something to say?” She snapped, taking in a last gulp of air before righting herself, arms crossed.

“Well, if I may, I think… I think the champion will be more hurt at his lack of use to you than anything.” 

Glaring, she shook her head. “But he's finished his duty! He can relax now. He should be relaxing!”

“Forgive me, but he's known only to fight, not live, and to take that from him, is like stripping him of his freedom.”

“He'll have more freedom by relaxing.” 

“You're his Queen, surely you've seen his thrill in fighting… I don't doubt your knowledge of him, however, he remained your knight to fight, not for leisurely comforts.”

Sighing, she raked her hand through her short locks once more before glancing around herself. “Before we return, I want to collect myself a pet.”

“A pet, your majesty?” He asked, catching up to her as she began to stride away. His mind blanked at the quick change of subject.

“A pet.” She parroted, eyes flickering around like a wild beast as she let her large lamp clank away at her hip. “Specifically a corrupted monster of the calamity.”

Blinking, he raised a brow. “Oh? Any particular reason?”

“I want to see if they're capable of being trained. If it's me they were protecting. And mostly, I want to experiment on them.”

“I see. Will you want the maids to feed it?” 

“I'll feed it myself.” She told, her strides confident with purpose. “I refuse to remain a victim of the calamity.”

“Of course, your majesty.” 

^^^

By the time everything had been documented into his slate, the sun had begun to rise high into the sky, peering down at the people with curiosity. 

Dot peered into the room, relaxed with a sweet smile to her rosy lips. “Hey,” She greeted, stepping further into the room and closing the door quietly behind herself. “How's the history review going?” 

_‘Almost finished. Very good.’_

“Oh yeah?” Walking over she peered at the documents, nodding her head. “I'm sorry for whatever my father said to you. I don't know what he knows, but he can be cruel with his words.” 

_'It's fine, he's not wrong.’_

Frowning, she shook her head. “Ignore whatever he said. He doesn't know you personally.”

Blinking, Wild tucked away his slate, regarding the princess with a curt nod. Sidling past her, he made his escape to the door, only to be intercepted by her arm.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you, again.” 

_‘Something wrong?’_

“No, no, not at all.” She smiled, warm and welcoming, something Wild didn't deserve. “...I was just... What happens? In the future, I mean, because… Do we make it better, did we fight for the right cause?”

Tilting his head back slightly, he gnaws at his lip. _‘Ruins, later, my fault. Previously it was thriving. You did good things, better place for Hyrule.’_

“Really?”

Nodding his head, he lets his gaze settle on her, watching as her eyes begin to gloss and her smile seems to stretch far across her face.

“Hyrule will always find a way to thrive.” She told, voice heavy with belief. “And its people will find unity throughout. There is no way to fail Hyrule, if there is belief throughout its people.” 

If only that were true.

She smiled, sifting through the historical scrolls and tapestries, fond and proud. “I just wanted assurance… That we're fighting a winning battle, the right battle.” She nodded, eyes drawn to the tapestry made of Four. “He's been through so much, forced apart and pieced back together.”

_‘Wise, he is. Observant.’_

Humming a soft tune in agreement, a laugh slipped past her lips. “Creepily observant. Wise is an overstatement, he's ridiculously stupid at times, and a selfish hazard.” Her tone was light, but words burdened. “Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to a stranger when I'm with him, moreso since that adventure of his…”

_‘How?’_

Blinking, she let her head lull backwards, eyes drawn to the ceiling. “In a way, he's more simplistic than everyone else, but he's so…” Her brows furrowed, mulling over her words. “He's so complex to be a single individual now. And.. I love all of who he is, like family, but sometimes he shuts down, and it's like an intruder has taken his body.”

Shaking her head, she lets out a sigh, a wry smile playing on her lips. “I warn you, and I hope you do, if you become his friend, he can be… Intricately… Different. He usually stays to his lonesome but… His mind cannot be his friend forever.” Her fingers tremble as she picks up the tapestry, eyes glossed, frown falling into place.

“I ask you this again, please comfort him. I fear that stranger may take his place tonight, but don't be discouraged.” Her eyes flicker over the contents of the tapestry, brows furrowing. “The people will never idolise him, because he’s not what they imagined a hero to be. These people are so judgmental, and they seem so unaware at how he risked everything for them. It’s the only reason I love our people, because he sees something I cannot.” 

He watches her, hands wringing together, wrists cracking sharply. 

Her eyes drift over to him once again, her lips pulled further into a frown. “Tell your Zelda to not be known as a fool’s daughter. Tell her, if she must, to have no remorse on the people who threaten your lives.” Placing the tapestry down, she stares at the boy, as though he wasn’t there, and it makes him squirm in discomfort. “Please.”

Blinking, he gave a nod. _‘Of course.’_ Because who is he to deny her?

Pulling out his slate, he flickers through it, notes of quests, memories, conversations, and such flicker alive. He can’t risk forgetting again, won’t risk it. Allowing the princess’ words to flow into the slate, he nods, and takes a picture of the girl to go with her words. 

“Thank you.” Her eyes are glossed for some reason, but she’s no longer looking at him, instead she stares out at the sky. “I should… See some of the others.” 

Blinking, Wild flicks back through his slate, pulling out a lonely Silent Princess. Before Dot can leave, he’s passing it over, a smile to his lips she can’t see.

Blanching, her fingers twirl the flower, brow raised. “A… Flower… For me?” 

_‘Silent Princess. My Zelda… Likes them. Not domesticated yet. For you.’_

Despite his crumbled sign, she can’t help a smile to replace her wilting frown. “I’ll cherish it, thank you.” Her eyes are drawn to the glisten of the petals, of the heavy scent of mint, to the intoxicatingly happy feeling it gives her. “Remember, please be there for Link- for Four.” She whispers, but he hears, and she’s slipping away out of the room, a flower clutched in her hands. 

Revali hums, sitting on the desk with disinterest. “You’re very oblivious to your actions, aren’t you?” 

Glancing over, Wild gives him a smile. _‘I’m not sure I understand.’_

Huffing, Revali leans forwards, a snarl to his face. “You never do, you never have, and you never will.” He tells, a glare to his eyes before it relaxes, into something akin to mockery, as though he’s talking to a child. “It’s okay though,” It’s light, and cruel. “Ignorance may just be more blissful than knowledge, don’t you agree?”

Humming, Wild fumbles with his hands, but feathers placed over them, stopping them from moving.

“Use your words, your mouth, your voice. Voice what you want, or else you’ll never learn how to communicate.”

Blinking, his brows furrow, a look of pained concentration to his features. “Nn… Nu nnn…” Frowning, he grinds his jaw.

“No?” Revali asks, repeating the word in sign for Wild to stare at. He shakes his head, frowning deeper. “Yes?”

“Ee..”

“Yes.” He repeats once again, slower, eyes like a predator.

“Ee… Eh… Sss…” Swallowing the lump in his throat, he works his hands with him, signing out the simple yes. “EeEhSss.” It doesn’t sound right, and by Revali’s watchful gaze, it isn’t. “Ee…”

“It starts with a Y, Link. Yeh-.” 

“Yuh.”

“That’s how you pronounce the Y. Yes.”

Nodding, his hands repeat the sign, because he wants to learn, wants to not be so… Lost with his words. “Yeh...Ss… Yess…” 

“Congrats, Link, you agree that ignorance may just be bliss.” Revali hums, standing up and prowling closer to the hooded boy.

“Yess.” He repeats again, because he’s proud of himself, and he allows himself just a moment of pride. 

Sighing, Revali pats the boy’s head, as if mockingly calling him a child. “Yes, you can say a word. Well done.”

Mipha sifts around, peering through the door, eyes wide and inquisitive. “Are you both finished in here?” She asks, tail swishing effortlessly. 

Fluttering his feathered arms, Revali gave a stretch, flicking his wrist at stray pieces of history. “We are. Where have you been?”

Mipha nodded, wandering over to collect the papers into a neat pile. “Scouting. Daruk left a little bit ago to find Urbosa, they’re far from this town now.” Her nails scratch against the wooden desk, screeching without remorse. 

Wild grabs the tapestries, taking them across the room to the table before the window. As much as he loves the Zora, he only feels guilt and remorse. He sees a girl he can't remember, he sees a toppling father, he sees a wilting son. And so he just won’t look at her anymore.

“Find anything interesting?” Revali asked, leaning against the desk, arms crossed.

Her tail swished a jolt momentarily. “I think something’s followed us here… And I think something’s wrong.” She whispers quietly to the other ghost, but gives a smile to Wild when he glances over at her silence. He nods and begins to take his leave, allowing the spirits their peace. 

Watching the door close, Mipha waits a few moments before turning back to Revali, frowning. 

“Why the frown?” 

Flexing her fingers, she stopped neatening the pile of papers. “I think… Something big is happening.”

“Why?” Revali asked, brow raised as he leaned closer to the Zora, his gaze predatory. “What exactly did you find, to make you so… Jittered?” 

Swallowing, she placed a hand over her nonexistent heartbeat. “I went scouting. For potential dangers. Something’s happening in Hyrule, I can’t… My bond with Zelda… It feels… Distorted. And then… I saw something.”

“What did you see, Mipha? Spit it out.” 

Wringing her hands, she bit her lip. “I saw them. Here. Waiting. They’ll kill him if they see him. There’s something waiting around Smith’s. It’s not right.” She rambled, words spilling from her faded lips. “It’s not right. Nothing’s right anymore.”

Humming, Revali tapped his foot, gaze moving out the window. “When the other two return, we’ll talk to them about what’s followed us.”

“And about Zelda?”

“... Don’t worry Urbosa anymore than necessary. We’ll remain quiet about it for now. You’re more aware of your bonds, so keep an eye on it. If it comes down to it, I’ll switch over.” 

Spinning on him quickly, Mipha shook her head. “And cause her more of an emotional turmoil at realising we lied to her?! She thinks we’ve passed on! If you switch over, Link and Zelda will both notice.” 

“Then what do you expect to do? Watch her bond twist into something similar to Link’s?” 

Frowning, her gaze drifted to her shuffling feet. “She’s been changing for years… My soul has always been bound to them… She’s being corrupted like him but…”

Sighing, Revali’s head tilted back. “We can’t do anything without ruining everything?”

“Not really…”

“Of course we can’t.”

“We could ask Link to ruin it…”

“And ruin our progress? That… Thing… Would run havoc in his turmoil.”

“...”

“Keep me updated on your bonds, Mipha. We’ll talk to the other two about whatever’s followed us.”

Frowning at his fading form she nodded silently, tail swishing remorsefully. “Oh Link… You’re being followed by such awful, ghostly friends. Please forgive us in the future.” She whispered to herself, glancing around the room one more time. 

In sparks of electric blue, she disappeared from the room, appearing back outside among the many towns people. The distant view of the castle made her stomach churn uncomfortably, so she turned away and walked amongst the people, relishing in the pretend ideal of being alive.

And sometimes, while she walks, she catches a few people’s eye. But that can’t be right, because she’s dead, and has been for far too long. 

So she ignores the feelings of being watched, and continues her stroll, entranced by the stores and houses and fountains and everything which spells life and love and longing. 

^^^

He’s sitting on the fountain’s wall, legs swinging as he stares out at the people. This was what a town was like. Flooded with people, not water, on the surface, not drowning. This was a town, full of unsuspecting people, who drown in the great sea.

He’s watching, eyes narrowed as they usually are when he’s scoping out his surroundings, and they settle on tantalizing blue flames. Blue flames of a telltale sign that someone was dead. Another burst of blue, and a child is wandering, waiting for someone, unaware that they’re dead. He looks away.

Frowning, he watches people talking to people at stalls, watches people disappear into homes, watches people as they watch him back. He doesn’t mind. He likes the attention. Makes him want to scream. Makes him want to yell. Makes him want to make a scene.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he remains rightfully placed on the wall, eyes wide. “Are you waiting for someone, kiddo?” An elderly man asked, sitting down at his side. They’re ablaze with blue, on fire, painfully so. 

He tries to ignore it, he really does, but death seems so lonely. 

“Are you waiting for someone, kiddo?” The elder asks once again, waiting for a response. Their voice is somber, dripping in heavy grievances. His face is neutral, however. 

Swallowing, Wind shakes his head, letting a smile play on his lips. His wide eyes are staring ahead, ignoring the burning gaze, and he’s watching children dance. He was to join them.

But the elder clings to his arm, trembling and grinning but crying all the while. “You can hear me, boy. See me, yes?” He asks but doesn’t wait for a reply, as if scared it was just coincidence. 

And maybe Wind could play it off as such.

“Please, boy, I need my words told. I need the woman to know I did no harm. I was attacked, young one.” The man’s slightly shaking him. “Tell her it wasn’t my fault. The beast got me. That thing. Tell her, please, it wasn’t my fault. I loved her so very much. Tell her, won’t you?” 

The man’s rambling and it hurts Wind, both the death grip on his arm and the piercing shrieks within his mind. 

“You’ll tell her? Tell her, that woman. She’s beautiful and strong, and I fear she’ll die alone. Tell her I’m waiting, tell Dottie I’ve loved her.” 

Glancing at him from the corner of his eye, Wind frowns. “I don’t know your name, sir. I don’t… I don’t know who Dottie is. I can’t help you, I’m sorry.” He whispers, before looking back at the dancing children, because it hurts less to see the living.

“My name. My name… I’m an old man, correct? I don’t… I remember very little… But I know Dottie, I’ve loved her since I was a boy. But I think something happened… I woke up… Dead… And so far away in pure darkness.” He rambles, and his voice falls back into grief and misery. 

“I’m sorry.” Is all Wind can say.

The man blinks slowly. “Tell her, won’t you? Tell Dottie. My name- Oh my name is Marshall. Tell Dottie, I wait for her, I’ll watch over, tell her I love her.” 

Frowning, Wind swallows the acid in his throat. He’d barely escaped the conversation with Dot, and how she wished to know the future. He’d barely escaped the castle full of wandering dead. And now he was here, with a dead man clinging to him, begging for his love to be spilled to a woman.

“Tell her, my Dottie, that woman, the beauty. Tell her, please. I won’t say word of your ability to another, I won’t bother you again, just this one thing.” Marshall begged. 

Wind’s stomach churned in regret. Sighing, Wind rubbed his hands over his face before standing up. “Take me to Dottie.” 

Beaming, the elder leaped up, weaving around town's people, eyes watching like a hawk. His skipping came to a stop beside a woman waiting at a stand, her gaze drifting over various things. 

Clearing his throat, he gives the woman a wry smile when she turns to face him. “Do you want something, kid?” 

“Uhm..” Letting his gaze flicker to Marshall and his beaming face, he regards the woman with a nod. “Apologies but… I couldn’t help but notice something about you. I.. I do…” Her gaze narrowed on Wind, brows raised.

“You do..?”

“I do spiritual readings. And… Your energies caught my attention. I was hoping I could… Tell you of the spirits who wander along with you.”

Frowning, the woman crossed her arms. “And why should I waste my money on you?”

“No! No money required.”

“Oh?”

“Your energies… They scream to be heard. And… And well… Perhaps it will ease you or them.”

Humming, her gaze turned to the stall owner. “Beedle, what do you suppose I do?”

“There’s no harm in getting it told!”

Sighing, the woman tightened her hair bun and nodded. “Alright then.”

“Uh great. Can you- Will you follow me, just to not have words be heard…”

Nodding, she followed after Wind to the fountain, taking a seat on the wall. Her brow raised, curious. 

“Your name. They call you Dottie.”

Frowning, she hummed. “Yes, anyone could tell you that, boy.”

“You’re followed. By a man. Marshall.”

“Oh yeah?” She gives a disbelieving look. “What does he say?”

Marshall frowned, sitting beside the woman. “Tell her. Tell her that she’s observant, how she’s grown tired of fruits and veg, how she likes places clean. Tell her of when we were younger, alone in Funday School, and dancing in lonely classrooms. Tell her I remember those days like they were only yesterday.”

And he does, he repeats Marshall’s words, and watches as the woman frowns, eyes glossing. 

“Tell me you do not lie, boy.” She pleaded quietly.

“I’m not lying.” He reassures.

And so she crumbles, and cries weakly, whether it’s from relief of despair, he’s not sure. 

“He wishes for me to pass a message.” Wind mumbles, watching carefully.

Her brown eyes peer up at him, watching. “What does he say, my boy?”

“Tell her, I love her. Tell her, she should live her life comfortably. Tell her, I’ll watch over her. Tell her… Tell her I’m waiting.”

Swallowing, his muddy browns reflect a bright blue within the sun’s beam, and Dottie’s eyes widen. “He says… He says he loves you, so much, and wants you to live your life happily. He says he’s sorry for leaving you… And that he’ll wait with you, and wait for you…” He carries the message from the dead to the living.

Her browns seem to well up with relief. “I… Thank you…”

“... Would you… Like to say anything…?”

“I think… I’ve loved him all this time too… And I’m sorry, we never spoke often… I’m sorry I never looked for you… I’m sorry this is too late.” She whispers like a broken woman, because maybe she is.

Wind nods, looks at Marshall but only sees fiery blue flames, and a red zora staring at him from afar. “Tell her, it’s okay. I’ll wait. And she can move on. And I’ll wait, if only to be her friend.”

He swallows, eyes never leaving the red Zora, as her eyes widen. “He says you can move on, he’ll still wait. He’ll wait, he’s okay if you want only to be friends, he says you’re forgiven.” He doesn’t look at Dottie, he can’t, not even when she sobs.

He can’t look at Marshall, as he pathetically tries to comfort her. 

He simply stares at the zora, the zora glowing in tantalizing blue, and how she seems frozen. Frozen in disbelief, maybe. But then she’s grinning, and then frowning, as if something dawned upon her, and it’s confusing. So she makes a slow stalk towards him, allowing him a chance to flee. 

He doesn’t.

Dottie glances up at him, and smiles weakly. “Thank you, boy.”

I’ll leave you alone…” Wind muttered, motioning for the zora to follow him. She does.

Making their way to the town gates, the young boy looks upon the zora, watches as she smiles when she catches up. “So you really can see us, hm?” Her voice is a silky smooth, cotton soft texture. 

“I can… You’re… Mipha, right?” 

“I am. And you are Wind, correct? Or rather, Link, I suppose.”

“Wind’s fine… Why uh.. Why do you follow Wild?” Wind asked, intrigued but hesitant to learn.

Smiling softly, she let her eyes wander around the town. “I think he would’ve sounded like you, had he not taken that vow.” She told, with no real purpose. “I’m his friend, and I wish him all the safety I can supply him with.”

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, his own gaze wanders. “Will he open up to us? … Is it scary? Dying, I mean… Sorry.” 

Laughing, her tail swished fondly. “Curious, like him, you are. Maybe eventually Link will open up. But he’s never been fond of doing that, he likes privacy.” She explains before her smile begins to wilt, a sombre look crossing her features. “For me… Dying was terrifying. Terrifying and painful and all things no one should experience. But it’s not like that for most. In the end, my death is honoured, and I can still help people, so it’s not bad.” 

Wind frowns, nodding. “I’m scared to die…” He confesses quietly to the ghost.

Her smile is wry as she pats his head. “That’s still such a long time away.”

“What if I die soon?”

“You won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“... You should live in your youth as much as possible, little pirate.” Mipha says, eying the sun as it begins to wilt, tired of hanging so high up in the sky. “You should return back to the castle.”

“... You won’t tell anyone, right?” About this…”

“My lips are sealed.”

He smiles, and gives her a wave before slipping out of the town gates and down the path to the castle.

^^^

Legend huffs, dragging Hyrule behind him up to the castle. “Are you annoyed with me?” Hyrule asks, frowning in worry.

Sighing, they stop their advancements. “No. No, I’m not, sorry Roolie. I just don’t like that woman.”

“You mean the amulet stand woman?”

“Yes, her. I don’t like her, she’s… There’s something about her. Be careful with that thing, alright?”

“I will. So… You’re angry at her, not me?”

Turning to the brunet, Legend lets a smile slip in place on his face, albeit a small one. “I’m not angry with you, I just wanted to get away from the woman.”

Nodding, Hyrule smiles. “Okay, good. I don’t want you angry at me.”

Snorting, Legend ruffles Hyrule’s hair. “Loser. C’mon, idiot, we gotta get back to the castle before Time gets worried.”

Pouting, Hyrule followed after the blond. “I’ll have you know, I’m not an idiot.”

“Mhm, sure.”

“I’m not!”

“Okay, whatever you say.”

“I’m smaaaart!” Hyrule groans, puffing his cheeks out.

Legend shakes his head in amusement. “I know, I’m just messing with you.” He confesses after a pause. “Idiot.” He grins as Hyrule whines his complaints and denials. 

“Ughh.” The brunet huffs but smiles, elbowing the blond. In retaliation, the blond elbows him back, and soon they’re pushing and shoving each other with childish joy. “Loner.” Hyrule whispers with a grin, only to get smacked over the head with a childish glare. 

“Goddess, who are you hanging around with to be so snarky?” 

“You, obviously.” Hyrule smiled, running up to the castle, Legend hot on his tail. 

Closing in on the castle, the two slowed down, relaxing into a normal paced walk. “You prepared for any potential fights?” Legend asked, gently bumping into the other.

Hyrule smiles, and nudges him back. “Yeah, you?”

“Mentally, never. Physically, we have to be.” 

Hyrule let out a sad laugh, nodding. “Yeah… But we’re making the world better!”

“Are we?” He asked, eyes drawn to the wilting sun. 

“...”

Slipping into the castle, the two boys caught sight of Wind making his way down the hall, slipping into the dining room. “I guess that’s where we’re going, hm?”

“Guess so.” Hyrule hummed.

Making their way into the dining room, they noticed not many there. Wind had sat down, Four and Dot were mumbling things to each other, and the maids were taking away plates of food back into the kitchen.

Blinking at each other, they made their way over to the table, Hyrule sitting beside Wind and opposite Legend. “Where uh… Where are the others?” Hyrule asked, making a point of moving his gaze around the room.

Wind grinned. “Not here yet. Probably lost.” 

Legend sighed, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand. “Mm yeah, probably. They’re all idiots.”

“Yup!” Wind agreed cheerfully.

Dot regarded the group with a smile, peering around Four to see them. “We’ll wait for the others to arrive, alright?”

Four nodded in agreement before the two went back to their hushed conversation. 

^^^

Making his way down to the castle, Warriors caught up quickly with Time, raising a brow at his tired huff of a sigh. “Everything alright there old man?”

Glancing over, Time gave a small smile. “I’m fine. Did you enjoy your small break?” He asked, stretching out his arms behind himself until he heard the satisfactory crack.

Raising a brow, Warriors gave the man a judgmental glance. “Cracking away nicely over there?” He teased with a grin, only to be jabbed in the side. “Agh! Rude. Anyways, ahem, I did. There’s some lovely ladies here.”

“Uh-huh.”

“... Well… I mean, there are, I just didn’t spend my time with them…”

“So what did you do?”

“... Challenged someone to fight… I won… It’s been a good day.” 

Time smiled, nodding his head. “I’d worry if you had lost. Can’t have you going rusty on us now, can I?”

Laughing, Warriors shook his head. “That’s your job, old man. I’m not in my sixties yet unlike you.” 

Choking out a laugh, Time prodded him in the ribs once more. “With you lot, I sure feel sixty.”

“That’s because you are.”

“Ah yes, and you are the disappointing teenager.”

Grinning, Warriors skipped ahead, spinning around to face Time. “Just for you, dad.”

Shaking his head, Time let out a sigh. “I don’t know who you are. You’re certainly not mine.”

Walking ahead of Warriors, the pretty blond let out a gasp of betrayal, catching up quickly “How could you, I thought you loved me!”

“Now where did you get that silly idea?” Time teased, the two relaxed as they made their way to the castle.

Looking around, Warriors raised a brow. “Where’s the ranch hand?” 

“Somewhere.”

“You didn’t kill him, did you? I mean, we kinda need his strength and sense of direction. Although… Wolfie seems to have a better direction, so I guess we could replace Twi with Wolfie.” 

Raising a brow at the other, Time let out a startled laugh. “You’ll be next.”

“Oh Goddess, put me out of my misery.”

“For that, you can suffer with me.”

“Ugh. My one chance. Gone, just like my childhood innocence.” 

“At least you had a childhood.” 

“The bar is that low, huh?”

“It could be lower.”

“You concern me sometimes.”

Time huffed. “Well, you are on your way to being old, just like me. You have to start somewhere.” 

Making their way into the castle, Warriors sighed. “You’re like an old gremlin… And if I told anyone, no one would believe me.”

“I’ve been told that before.”

“Yes, well whoever they are, they know what they’re on about.”

Time let out a laugh. “Yes, they do, for the most part.”

^^^

Sky frowns at the person before him. “I’m sorry, I don’t… I don’t think I’m comfortable with that.. Uh…” He shifted awkwardly, glancing back at the town passing by. “My uh friends are waiting for me, I really should go.”

You’re a coward for running away from fate.” The woman spits, glaring.

He gives her a wavering smile, stepping away. “I’m just tired of being told what to do. I want to make my own destiny.”

“You can’t. It has claimed you, you are fate’s chosen child.” The woman spoke, a mist surrounding her. Her canines glint ferociously as she grins. “Sit with me, I’ll tell you of fate’s desires, and you can work from there.”

Taking another step away, he gives a chuckle. “I.. No thank you, I really should be going. It was nice to, uh, meet you.”

“You walk amongst the dead.” She calls out to his retreating form. “You dance with the tainted. You fight above the ruler!” 

He’s not listening as he pushes past the crowds, far too big crowds, and he’s stumbling for balance, ignoring judging gazes. He’s stumbling, and he’s tripping, and he’s crashing into unsuspecting people - too many people. 

He’s not listening as his heart roars for attention, as his lungs scream for air, as his legs carry him further away.

He’s not listening because he’s tired. Tired of being a mere puppet for the Gods and their petty fights and ridiculous reincarnations. 

He’s not listening, because the diamonds hanging from her ears, tattooed on her hands, decorating her clothes, are far too familiar. Because the red and white contrasting colours are far too startling. Because the devilish grin is far too unsettlingly familiar.

So instead, he’s stumbling through the crowds away from his fate. He’s stumbling into people wearing red and black, into people with masks, into people old and young. 

“Sky?” A voice, accented and so familiar it almost sent him into panic. “Sky?” They repeat, hand on his shoulder, and it’s too familiar he wants to cry. 

But they don’t have striking white hair, they’re not a deathly grey, they’re not a manipulative weapon merely doing things for a god they’ve been forced to serve. Instead, they have dirty blond hair, wolfish hues and concern riddled into their features. 

“Twi…” He swallows, and he feels so light, as though he’s floating on air, just like when he’s at home.

“Hey there, you aight? Sky? Sky, look at me- Sky!”

His eyes are rolling back before he can understand what’s happening, head lolling back lifelessly and body collapsing. It feels familiar.

He hopes he wasn’t too late again…

^^^

She’s selfish, she understands. Selfish for many reasons, like now, where she holds back her glee upon staring down at the Hero of Skies. “You say he randomly passed out?”

“Yeah. He was running and panicking and when I got to him, he sort of just… Collapsed.”

Hyrule peers over the boy with concern, his cold hands pressed against Sky’s forehead. “Maybe… A.. Panic Attack?”

Blinking, Twilight nodded. “I think so. Maybe.”

Keeping her frown in place, Dot ran her fingers through the boys light brown locks. “Maybe keeping him here for just the night would be good.”

Four frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. Besides, going out at night was bound to be a bad idea.” 

“What about your father?”

Her eyes glance to the large doors leading out to the hall. “He’ll be fine with it. Don’t worry too much. We’ll have breakfast in the morning and see if he’s in condition to leave for your journey.” 

“You’re a blessing, Zel.”

She laughs, because frankly, she isn’t. She was tempted to poison one of them, if only to keep them longer, so having Sky pass out was a sign of the Gods, she’s sure. Perhaps it’s a sign to keep them for just the day, so she can mentally prepare fully, or to keep them here until they’re forced to leave. 

However, she doubts anyone has cleaned the body rotting away in the open of Smith’s house. That’s bound to become a problem. 

She hopes no one goes to the blacksmith, hopes no one sees it. 

But fate isn’t that nice for her, so she decides to just allow them to stay for the night and force them out tomorrow. She’ll accept the consequences, even if they kill her. 

^^^

Zelda stares down at the creature before her, watches as it babbles nonsense, and can’t help the look of disdain crossing her face. It’s defenseless, but she finds herself unable to find pity for the repulsive thing.

Crouching down, she beckons it forwards, and it follows her command, its beady yellow eyes wide and impure. She wonders how many it’s touched with its foul body. 

Snarling, she grips its face in her hand, pulling it closer to her face. It gives a squeaky chortle of a laugh, babbling as spit foams at its lips. “Disgusting. I’d rather a moblin than a bokoblin.” She grits out, glaring.

Sparks of silver light electrocutes the tips of her fingers, dancing up the bokoblins face. It screeches, and squirms, but never removes its eyes from hers. The light leaves scorches up its face, blistering it with purity. “I want to destroy you, however, I wonder if I could make an army out of you.” 

A grin splits across her face as she lets go, standing up and brushing down her clothes. “You’ll follow me, you disgusting little pig, and I’ll show you how much you should be terrified of me. I’ll show you the power of a queen set out to fix this corrupted world.”

She grins, raising her eyes to meet her advisor’s. An ivory glint flickers in his eyes, and they reflect into hers, coiling around carelessly in her iris. Letting her hand drop from the creature, she ignores the wretched pain running up impure arms, ignores the slight burning pain on her hip, and instead focuses on the satisfactory feeling she feels for owning a new pet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall are so sweet and supportive, gods i dont deserve any of you
> 
> sorry if parts of this doesnt make sense, i was editing through a meeting call, so its kinda a jumbled chapter. im also sorry for any mistakes, my braincells have fried with all my exams im failing. 
> 
> :D
> 
> thank you for reading this, honestly. your support is so sweet and wonderful and highly appreciated. i know im annoying with all my self doubts, but genuinely your support is so wonderful for something that is so badly written lmao


	12. Lying for a good cause

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || “Your majesty, there’s been a murder!” ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes :3  
> Thank you for all the support, both via comments on here and on discord (both dms and the server in calls)  
> Youre all so very sweet, i honestly dont deserve any of you  
> please enjoy reading :)

Someday, he believes he’ll sleep peacefully for once. And that day, he hopes it’ll remain peaceful forever, to never wake up after a century, to never have to save the world, to never have to breathe in the cold air ever again.

He hopes, on that day, he’ll be buried deep within rotting soil with no one to accompany him and nothing to revive him.

He hopes, and prays, upon deaf ears. Because who would listen to the cries of a dead man walking? 

Sighing, he peels his eyes open, takes in the bodies of many sleepers, and feels guilt crawl up his throat. His limbs are heavy as he forces himself to stand, forces himself into wandering aimlessly across the room and down castle halls of foreign familiarity. 

Reminders try to pull at memories, try to get him to remember something, but there’s nothing to grasp when he remembers nothing. They whisper reassurances, of long pasts, and unfortunate circumstance, but they mean nothing to him as he continues wandering without purpose. 

The halls are illuminated by wilting candles, leading him down to a sorrowful kitchen. Pushing open daunting doors, he peers round to see wide greens staring through him, not at him. It’s unnerving, in a way, to see the princess of such a happy past staring at him as though everything around her had simply crumbled down before her very eyes.

It haunts him, as they’re the same eyes his Zelda bears whenever she peers out of her castle walls, or when she sees him approaching. It’s the same look of defeat, of corruption, of distraught. 

It makes her look vulnerable, and it’s odd, because his Zelda has always appeared strong, even when she was facing the epitome of disaster. But he reminds himself that this isn’t his Zelda, that this is a princess who hasn’t faced the end of the world, that this isn’t a woman escaping her fate.

No, the princess sitting before him is a mere child who has faced victories at her friend’s side. This is someone who cares so dearly, she wouldn’t dream of ruining a hero’s fate due to her father’s selfish desires. 

But those eyes tell another story. They speak of horrors and regrets and far too many selfish desires, that it may one day corrupt her and her friend. If that happens, he doesn’t know, because he doesn’t know their history anymore. He knows of what’s happened so far, but beyond that, is a mystery to him. 

It’s when she blinks, slowly, that she seems to see the surface of who he is, and not straight past him. It’s when she blinks, that she pulls on a smile and motions to a seat before her. It terrifies him, honestly. Terrifies him that she could so quickly force a charming smile, one that could entrance an entire kingdom, and make it look real.

It terrifies him, because he’s seen it far too many times from so many others that had suffered from the devastation of a calamity. So to see a girl, so high up in the food chain, pull on a false smile, which doesn’t seem to be too big or small, allows her eyes to crinkle just enough to look real, with such ease… It makes him wonder what’s taught her to be the perfect distortion of false reality. 

His stomach churns with discomfort at the idea, but she continues smiling, so falsely real, he almost believes it. He only knows it to be fake by how quick she pulls it on, for how her eyes share that same look of guilt and unease his Zelda wears.

But regardless, he follows her offer, and takes a seat before her. The girl sips her tea, humming quietly. “Would you like some tea?” She asks, voice light and sweet like honey, but drizzled in bitter remorse and heavy revulsion. 

She pores in the boiling water, watches as it changes into a rich red, into dark pools of nothingness. “Honey?” He shakes his head no, and she complies. “Milk?” He nods, and she lets the liquid melt the black spools of nothing into a light oak appeal. 

Bringing it over, her movements are slow and elegant but so painfully disjointed. Her hands wrap around her cup, relaxing into the searing burn of comforting heat. “Tonight is not a night for honey, is it?” She smiles, but it’s so sad and longing, that it’s not really smiling. 

He’s not sure how to respond, but he agrees, so he nods. Tonight is a night of bittersweet loneliness for something they’re unaware of. 

Sipping the odd tea, it reminds him of home, with a family, and relaxing with ease, no fear of an uncertain future. It reminds him of home because he doesn’t recognise the taste, it mixes with bitterness, and sweetness, and a touch of glorified plants, and it’s so odd because it doesn’t belong to him. So it reminds him of home, because he doesn’t recognise the bittersweet feeling it gives. 

Dot smiles at him, hand caressing the cup with ease. “Have you ever made such awful mistakes, that it’d ruin everything you’ve built up with the people around you?” She asks, and she means it with no cruel meaning, it’s just a simple question, but her ignorance hurts him nonetheless. 

_ ‘Did something happen?’ _

He decides not to answer her question, instead getting to the point. He just wants her bloodshot green eyes away from him, because he fears she’ll see the things he’s kept hidden for so very long, and she’ll somehow ruin everything he and his Zelda have planned.

She smiles, and maybe it’s a little less sad, but he can’t tell, doesn’t want to tell, because there’s still far too much emotion behind it. Her eyes are glossy, and he doesn’t meet them, because he can’t help someone's emotions, he’s a fighter, not a supporter. 

But the emotions she feels make him nostalgic for something that never happened. 

“I’m scared of losing him, of his hatred, that I fear I’m going to do something bad to stop him from seeing the worst.” She admits, staring down into her cup. “I’m so scared, but that’s so stupid, isn’t it?” She asks, and her smile is back on her face, wobbly with tears. 

And maybe it is stupid, because either way, she’d be hated for something he doesn’t understand.

“I wanted to hurt one of you, but imagine my relief upon seeing a hero collapsed. It was like a sign from the gods, from the deities, that it made me so happy beyond belief. But it also makes me guilty, right?”

_ ‘What are you hiding?’  _ He asks finally, because they’ve done this cat and mouse chase too many times since he’s arrived, and it only makes him more confused than anything.

“I’ve done such a horrible thing.” Her voice warbles with unshed tears, with uncontrolled fear. “And he’ll find it out, he’ll see it, such an awful thing. I haven’t been there myself yet, I’m scared to see the reality of it.” 

Her words make no sense to him, but he listens, because without a voice, he can’t do much more than that. 

“Have you ever felt like a monster?” She’s desperate, it seems. Desperate for normality in her actions. 

So he smiles, and he nods.  _ ‘I am a monster.’  _ He confesses, because it’s true. 

“How?” She asks, frowning. “You’re a hero, you saved the world. How is that making you a monster?”

_ ‘Why would I save a corrupted world? We’re just prolonging an inevitable, that it’s pointless.’ _

“But isn’t Hyrule safe?”

_ ‘It’s never been safe.’  _ Dot doesn’t understand obviously, and it’s almost sad how much it confuses her.  _ ‘It suffers because we’re selfish beings wanting to use everything in our path until it’s utterly defeated.’  _

Furrowing her brows, she gulps back the rest of her tea, a frown engraved into her pale skin. “So we’re only making things worse? But you said- you said Hyrule thrived, that it was a better place!”

_ ‘During your time, yes. Hyrule is sad, now, lonely and corrupted and beyond saving. Disease runs rampant to rid itself of us, of feral beasts, and the gods can’t do anything.’  _

“No, no but… But what about your Zelda? Her blood, it’s of the grace of a God, she- she can fix it all.” It’s almost desperate, her words. “The golden trio will always look over us, and bless us when needed. You just- You have to call out to them, let them hear your words and prayers.”

He doesn’t respond to her words, because what’s the point?  _ ‘There is little that can be worse than being a monster.’ _

Sighing, she shakes her head, and forces herself back to her faults. “No. No, I think there is. Out of selfishness, I’ve opened the gates of hell to peer at this place. By doing this, someone I care for has become a casualty.”

Smiling, she grasps his hand in hers. “Take care of him. He’ll hate me, but… It was bound to happen. Take care of him, because despite his aloofness, he’s fragile, and this will surely hurt him so very much.” 

With her eyes, so broken yet sincere, he can’t help but succumb to her wish. He’ll help as much as he can, and to do so, he’ll push the others to comfort her Link, and then he’ll finally escape their grasp of saving this god forbidden land called Hyrule.  __

_ ^^^ _

Two days pass by in a blur. She wonders where her champion has drifted off to, and if he remains dedicated to their plan. She wonders if he’s safe, but that thought doesn’t linger long, as her bonds with him (although foreign and very much odd) remain intact and secure. 

Sighing, she sits down on her bed, ignoring the slight flutter of dust surrounding her. Her eyes drifted to the creature chained to the corner of her room, a little beneath the wide eye of malice. Glowering, she threw her far too fluffy pillow at it. “What are you looking at?!” 

It squawked, attempting to move out of the way, but the chain wrapped around its neck pulled it back to the wall, allowing the pillow to hit it. 

Her leg bounced nervously, teeth grinding together, hands clenched as her chin rested on the back of her fingers. “Stop it! Stop looking at me, you’re just like the rest of them!” She yelled, glaring fiercely at the bokoblin. “Stop it, stop it, stop it!” She demanded, fingers flaring with silver light of purity, sparking up her face and causing her to shriek. 

“Your majesty?!” A voice called out, worried and too caring for her. “Are you alright?” Their voice called out, far more closer this time. Three raps resounded across her room, the door opening with quick precision. “Did something happen?”

Startling, she fixed her glare into a hauntingly sweet look, shaking her hand. “No, no, I’m fine. I was just testing some things, and I startled myself.”

The maid nodded, cautiously looking around her room of colossal webs and ebony pools of taint. “Alright… Well, I’ll keep an eye out for Lady Purah. Would you like anything in the mean time?”

“No, no, I’m quite fine, thank you.”

“Of course, your majesty, the chef’s have begun preparing a feast for her arrival, she should be here soon.” The maid confessed, slipping back out the room and closing the door securely. 

Hearing footsteps distance themselves, Zelda allowed her face to fall into something akin to a scowl. Her neck burned and sizzled, leaving an uncomfortable pain in its wake up across her cheeks and burning her eyes. 

Forcing her eyes to shift to the full body mirror, her eyes narrowed on the electric sparks of white lightning dancing its way up her neck to her eyes. “Oh Hylia..” She muttered, entranced by the faint scars it left as a trail. 

In the corner of her room, the bokoblin garbled nonsense, enrapturing her attention once more. “What?” She demanded, as though the thing would grow enough intelligence to give some sort of reply. It didn’t. 

Frowning, she made her way closer, crouching just before it. Feverently, it reached its hands out, clawing at her dress as if to try and rip it off her. Scowling, she gave it a swift kick to its side, watching it topple and blubber ungracefully. 

“Perhaps I’ll give you a name.” She muttered, crouching down. It held itself close to the wall, snarling and foaming at its lips. “I’ll call you something cute… How about Poppy? Something cute, to contrast how disgusting you are!” She grinned, depressingly amused by herself. 

It garbled a mocking laugh, causing her to scowl in response. “Don’t laugh, little monster. It’s repulsive.” She growled, flicking its head. It merely blubbered in response, grasping her fingers like a newborn. “Don’t. Touch.” She reprimanded, wrapping her fingers around its own and pulling them back until a sharp crack resounded. 

Squeaking and squawking, it pressed itself back into the wall, baring its teeth at her, beady eyes staring wildly. 

Smiling, she pet its head, nodding to herself. “Good little monster. Next time, keep your grubby hands to yourself. Or else you won’t have any.”

Its squeals of disdain are muffled by the sound of her door being slammed open, a young girl grinning from ear to ear standing in the doorway. 

“Snap! Snap! Purah’s here and ready to rumble! Snap!” She exclaimed childishly, bounding over. Her eyes were wide as they peered down at the bokoblin. “A new addition?” She asked, blinking at Zelda. 

Humming, the queen gave a smile, standing up and dusting her dress down. “Good to see you, Purah. This is my new pet, Poppy. Isn’t it just so adorably ugly?” 

Nodding, Purah bounced on the balls of her feet, just a bit taller than the beady eyed creature of repulsion. Her eyes drifted around the room, taking in the inky ooze spooling itself across her ceilings, over the windows, tangling into her bed. Malicious eyes blinked at her, bouncing idly as the dark sludge continued to mull about. 

“Sorry, it’s a mess, I know.” Zelda muttered, staggering her way over to her bed, grasping the large lamp and hooking it to the ever permanent belt wrapped snug around her waist. 

“Shush, shush, mess is my home! So, something was an emergency?” 

“Right of course, straight to business as always, hm.”

“Well, as my sister once said,” She cleared her throat, sly and cunning. “We get nothing done with small talk!” Purah imitated, grinning as Zelda let out a soft laugh, looking down at the sheikah with a fond smile. 

“She had a point, but I was a child…” Zelda relaxed onto her bed, shoulders slumping with heavy fatigue. “Honestly… I think… I’m dying.”

Staring, Purah gave a nervous laugh, shaking her head. “Dying? Why? Is something wrong? Where’s Linky when we need him?” She made her way closer, climbing onto the bed with little struggle, brows furrowed with concern. 

Zelda smiled, sad and wistful, as she pulled up her sleeves to reveal the blisters of bursting darkness, to show the white electric streaks running up her face. “This.. This divine power is working against me. I can’t breathe comfortably without feeling it burn my lungs with purity. I need.. I need this plan to work, Purah. Without it... ” Her lips curled into a snarl. “Without it we’ll be unprepared.”

Frowning, Purah pulled at the blue dress, bunching it up to the Queen’s thighs. She eyed the ruby red defiance, swallowing up the once blue tint of innocence. “Lucky for you, I’ve brought my stuff. Let’s get to work with these legs first, they look ready to keel over.” 

Sighing, Zelda gave a nod. “Thank you, really. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

“You’d probably be living a boring life without legs.” She commented, forcing the Queen’s legs onto the bed. “Or maybe no one would’ve noticed the damage, and you’d remain connected to two gnarly legs of bone.” 

“Ha.. Maybe.” 

“So, where’d Linky go? I heard he was meant to visit me a little bit ago, but he never showed up.” 

“I don’t know, you know him, he’s always wandering. He made some new.. Travel buddies I guess. Or at least, that’s what he told me when I saw him last.”

Purah hummed as she began to remove the sheikah legs. “People who actually want to travel with him? They must be as crazy as you!” 

Laughing, Zelda shook her head. “I have a feeling they may just be more like Link than myself.” 

“Oh?” 

“Specifically eight others. I had… A dream about it a while ago. I fear Link will do something.” 

“And you can’t contact him somehow?” 

Blinking, the Queen shook her head. “No. No, it feels like he’s so far gone, that it’s like he never existed. But our bonds remain strong.”

“And the champions?”

“They’ve passed.”

“Have they really?”

Blinking down at the short woman, Zelda raised a brow. “Yes. Why? Do you suspect otherwise?” 

“Well… He still looks like he carries the weight of the world. It’s like nothing’s changed. He was… Different when he didn’t have them around at first-”

“He didn’t know they existed.”

“He barely remembers them now.” Purah cut in, tutting. “Your memories were superficial to him, they’ve never stuck, he lies to you, so you feel at ease. But, he acts the same as when he had all four of them at his side.” Splotches of malice tangled around her nimble fingers, causing her to hiss and retreat for a moment. “Don’t you remember? You were forced to see everything while you were fighting, surely you can notice the difference between now and then.”

“I suppose. But, he shouldn’t have to lie to me!”

“But he does.”

“...”

“Zel, you must see it too.”

“... I mean… Yeah- Ow!”

“Sorry, sorry!” She apologized, setting aside the prosthetic legs. “Put your magic into them, they shouldn’t hurt much if they’re not attached while being purified.”

Sighing, the girl followed the command, before slumping back into her bed. “I just don’t understand him.”

“No one does. Not even himself.” Purah comforted, fishing out a vile of water blessed by dragon scales. Pouring the substance over the healed stubs, she watched as malice writhe, squirming and crawling further up her legs, avoiding the purification.

“I don’t understand myself…”

“... I don’t think you can.”

“I want to…”

“...”

^^^

Twilight sat beside the passed out boy, a frown etched into his skin. The blistering light of the sun refused to reflect into the room, instead lightly coating it with summer heat and comfortable sleep. 

Warriors looked over the two, brow raised. “You okay there, ranchhand?” He asked, stepping over corpse-like sleepers, and flopping beside Twilight on the bed. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m aight, you?” 

“I have some doubts about that.” Warriors hummed, peering down at Sky. “He’ll be fine, Twi, he probably just overwhelmed himself or something. You know how he gets with crowds and being down in Hyrule.” 

“Hm.”

Tutting, the scarfed boy stood up, stretching his limbs out. “Come on, we’re getting breakfast.” 

“Huh? Wait, no, I’m not-”

“If you stay staring at him any longer, I’ll dub you a stalker. Now get up, I’m hungry.” 

Huffing, the two made their way out of the room, creeping down the halls and into the kitchen. Before them stood the King, his stare heavy and stern as he turned to face the two intruders. “Link’s friends, yes?” He asked, staring down at them with judgement. 

“Uh yeah- yes, sir.” Twilight nodded, gazing at the man of royalty with carefulness. He reeked of impurity, drenched in heavy weights of corruption. 

Watching over them, he gave them a wide smile, nodding. “Of course, of course. A friend of Link’s is a friend of mine. Do you need something, boys?” 

“We were just looking for some food, sir.” Warriors confessed, polite but cautious. 

“Oh of course, I’ll get the chefs to bring something through. Go have some fun, boys.” It’s a dismissal, a command, and it’s unnerving, but the two follow it and leave the kitchen with tense shoulders. 

“He’s creepy, right? It’s not just me, is it?” Warriors asked the moment they’ve escaped, the two of them rushing down the hall. 

“No, no, there’s something definitely off about him.” 

“Great. Well, not really, but..” Warriors shook his head, and the two slipped past the dining room to see Four nursing a headache. “You alright in there?” He asked, stopping short in his steps to glance at the short boy.

Silver hues peel open, staring through the two with pain. They flicker ruby red, luminous, and maybe they’re hallucinating because eyes shouldn’t be that colour, shouldn’t be so bright, shouldn’t be able to change. But as quick as the red flickered through, it was drowned out by raging blue before twisting into ivy green. “Too bright.” He muttered before letting his eyes fall shut again, forehead resting against the table. 

Twilight frowns, hand on the door before tugging at it.”We’ll leave you alone, yeah?” He doesn’t wait for a reply, letting the door fall shut before continuing his stride. “He doesn’t look good at all.” 

“Not like we can do anything if he’s sick. Best to just avoid him, and wait for it to pass.”

“Mhm. Maybe there’s something that can help him around here.” 

Furthering their wandering, they pass the open throne room, Wild and Dot entering from the other side. “Maybe I should clean it up before he sees? It’d hurt less, yes?” Dot asks, voice reverberating across the large room.

_ ‘Dangerous’ _

Sighing, she nods, soothing her temples. “What if we went? You all have to be together… Or I could… Admit the truth... “ Her eyes pin themselves to the floor, body sagging. 

Pulling Twilight to a stop, they watch the two closely, entranced by the princess’ turmoil. 

“No, I can’t do that.” She confesses more to herself than to the boy beside her. Forcing her eyes up, she catches sight of the two onlookers, jolting. “Oh! Twilight and Warriors! Wonderful to see you both!” She called out, loud and boisterous, startling the three Link’s. 

“Uh good to see you too, Dot. Is something wrong, you look a li’l’ stressed.” Twilight told, trailing after the blue scarfed hero. 

Smiling, she shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine.” 

Warriors opened his mouth to show his concerns but the castle doors slammed open with a bang, the piercing ring of metal armour rushing through the halls alerting the group. “Your majesties! Your majesties, there’s been-!” A knight barreled through the doors, rushing into the throne room to see the group. Panting, he stared at Dot with remorse. “Your majesty, there’s been a murder!” 

Freezing, she stared at the intruder with wide eyes, bones locked up. “Excuse me?”

“A murder!”

Warriors glared fiercely, frowning. “Where?”

“Uh..” Their gaze flickered between the group, stumped and cautious. 

“Answer the question.” Dot gritted, rubbing her throat tenderly. 

“Of course, princess. Near South Hyrule Field, sir.” He nodded, before regarding the princess once again. “We have reason to suspect it’s the Blacksmith, Smith.”

She caught herself taking in a sharp inhale, allowing cold air to burn her lungs aggressively. 

Four stared at her, just behind the knight, frozen and hurt and crumbling. 

“Link-” She muttered, watching his disjointed body collapse lifelessly. “Link!” Turning her wide gaze back to the knight, she gave a curt nod. “Thank you, you’re excused. We’ll deal with this.” She muttered, swallowing back the guilt clawing up her throat. 

Passing him, her gaze quickly flickered back to Wild before focusing on Four, kneeling beside him. “Please may one of you grab my father, and another get your companions? Wild, help me, please.” She begged, refusing to look back at the group. Her hands clutched Link’s, remorseful and guilty, and so very burdened.

Footsteps rushed past her, leaving her alone with Wild and Four. “Promise me, you’ll never say a word of our arrangement, yes?” 

_ ‘... Of course, Princess Zelda.’  _

Nodding her head, she focused back on Four, cradling him close. “I never wanted this to happen. I should never have messed with such ridiculous magic.” She muttered, running her hand through his hair. “I’ll make it up to you somehow… Forgive me, one day, please…”

Watching, he took a step back as the King rushed in, glaring at the hooded boy. “I want to talk to you once this is sorted, boy.” He muttered, before crouching beside his daughter, resting a hand on her back. “My sweet, what happened?” 

Glossy hues refused to look up, a sharp intake of air choking into a gasp. “He-... We received… Word… of Smith’s death and he heard…” 

“I see.” Standing up, he regarded the group flooding into the room, concern evident in their faces. “Has your friend awoken yet?” 

Clearing his throat, Sky rose his hand. “Uh, yes your majesty, I-. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” 

Shaking his head, the King gave them a false smile. “It’s alright my boy. However it seems your journey may just be… Disrupted once again. He should come around soon, though. The sun’s just rising after all!” 

Glancing back at his daughter, he gave her a curt nod. “Take him back to their room, Zelda.” 

“We can take him!” Wind cut in, grinning. “No need to bother yourself, princess!” 

Forcing herself to smile, she shook her head. “Ah- no, that’s alright, Wind. Thank you, but I can manage. You should… Prepare yourselves, for your journey.” 

The King gave a nod. “Yes, there’s some good places in the village to look at, I highly recommend going.” 

^^^

“Did you hear about the Yiga?” A woman hissed quietly at a tavern, drinking her woes away. 

The person managing the bar hummed, glancing over inquisitively. “What’ve they done now?” 

“I heard they hurt a child, this time.” 

“Pretty pathetic, going after a child, hm?”

“No kidding. I wonder what the Queen will do, now that it’s not just herself and her knight being attacked.” The woman hummed, taking a gulp of her drink. “Maybe she’ll finally get rid of them.” 

“Mm hopefully, but I thought she wasn’t taking the throne until she’s rebuilt her kingdom.”

Huffing, the woman shook her head. “She’s basically taken the throne again.”

The tavern doors burst open, someone pointing up at the sky. “The moon! Oh the moon! It’s up! It’s red!” 

“Hah?! It’s morning!” She told, removing herself from her chair and glancing outside. “Ughh I just had the paths cleared of monsters! Hey, can I stay the night?” 

“Forty rupees!” 

“Yeah, yeah, I got my damn rupees. Damn moon ruining everythin’.” She huffed, taking her seat once more. 

^^^

“I want you to stay away from my daughter, boy.” The King confessed, his stare heavy and cold in the grand office. 

Revali huffed, puffing his feathers out at the man. “As if any of us wanted to be near her!” 

“You won’t influence her with your wickedary.” 

Chuffing, the rito shook his head. “It’s always the king who thinks they’re in the right. Obnoxious men, aren’t they? Though, I suppose you’re quite similar to him, in a way.”

Glancing over at the ghost, Wild let his brows furrow.

“Your ways of protecting royalty are… Questionable. And your logics are flawed.” 

“Well?” The King huffed, staring down at the hooded hero. “Do you need something?”

Revali glared. “Hylia, this man is infuriating. Who does he think he is? Does he believe himself better than you? I’d hope not, he may just be worse than you! Imagine!” 

“Don’t be mean, Revali.” Mipha chided, leading the two away from the office. 

“Don’t tell me what to do, Mipha.” He bit out.

Sighing, she shook her head, drifting ahead. “Children.” She muttered, ignoring the rito’s indignant squawks. 

^^^

He wished it were a fever dream. He really did. 

But sitting before Dot, watching her crumble with remorse, he realised everything was very much true. “So.. He’s really…?” 

“Yes… I’m so sorry Link.” She cried, covering her face with her hands. 

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.” He tried to comfort, but he wasn’t exactly listening, every part of who he was, was crying out for this to be a nightmare.

His cries were ignored.

If only he knew how much it were her fault.

“We should… Be going… To see him…” 

“Of course. Will you… Want a funeral?”

His eyes flashed purple, shaking his head. “No-” Rubbing his temples, he slouched. “No. He always said to never have a funeral, he said it was cruel to make someone cry over them twice. He never wanted to rot beneath the ground, said it made him claustrophobic.” 

Frowning, she kept hold of his hand, rubbing soothing circles on the back. “Right... Can I offer you any other support?” She’ll cling to this support for as long as she can.

“Take care of yourself… And… And the shop… Please. It was everything to him, and I want to keep it for as long as possible- we want to.” His eyes reflected bright red, desperate and sincere and full of too many emotions it forced her to look away.

“Of course, whatever you want. We’ll keep it going. You have nothing to worry about. I’m so sorry.” 

“Thank you, Zelda.”

“Take care of yourself, Link.”

“You too.”

She watched him leave, with the weights of grief heavy on his shoulders. A hand placed itself rightfully on her shoulder, a sigh resounding from her father. “You did well.”

“I brought monsters here… And they killed him. How is that good?!”

Tightening his grip, he forced her to remain sitting. “Because the dead should remain dead.”

“He was your friend!”

“And he was meant to remain dead.”

Wilting in her seat, she kept her gaze down, guilt eating away at her like a greedy parasite. 

“You let him be released from his misery.” The King soothed, but it did nothing to ease her, only really worsening things. 

Watching him stalk away after Four, she let a muffled sob rip through her throat. “I killed an innocent man… Forgive me, Link. I’ve become a monster, just like your friend…”

^^^

No one talked.

It was silent, deathly silent, as they made their way through the town. They remained silent with reverence, heavy with the familiarity of death. 

Four remained in front, head high, but frown etched onto his usually neutral face. It was weird, but so cruelly understandable. 

Silver flickered icy blue, shoulders tense with silent frustration- a murder, they said. 

Icy blue flickered royal purple, head high with forced indifference- how long had he been alone and dead?

Royal purple drowned into glossy amber, frown evident with unshed tears- Who was next?

Glossy amber was replaced by ivy green, limbs continuing forward- he had to see what happened. 

But it remained silent, despite the tyranid of emotions fluttering around him. He should be used to death; he was a hero. Maybe he wasn’t, he couldn’t even save his granddad, never mind Hyrule again. Maybe it was some sick joke from Farore, to test his courage, to test his devotion to saving the people, even if he loses his main reason for saving it. 

Or maybe, someone was just sick enough to kill an innocent man without remorse. 

He wished agony would fall upon anyone who wanted to harm Smith. His prayers may have been heard, as from afar, Zelda faced an imposter baring red and white, laughing at her guilability. 

^^^

The sun began to fall, slipping further from sight, as the moon began to dance its way high into the sky. The house became far too close. Far, far too close, it made stomach’s begin to churn. 

Four regretfully picked up his pace, a cruel ghost of curiosity dragging him across the land, edging him closer to his ultimate undoing. The door remained closed, untouched. “Are you… Are you sure it was really him?” Hyrule asked quietly, stepping closer to the short hero.

“Only one way to find out…” Four muttered, stalking closer to the door. Pushing open the door, it was the stench that hit him first, then the heavy smoke of fire, and finally the pool of blood mixing with water. 

His stomach churned, desperate to hurl whatever was in his stomach up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Progress, yes!
> 
> I wrote this at so many different times, my writing style so obviously changes so often lmao, im very sorry about that.  
> There's a lot in this chapter, both obvious and hidden, and while its not very much noticed, i just like implementing small things.  
> Naming that damn bokoblin was the hardest thing to do, so thank you for the various names given by the lu server, despite some of them being chaotic lmao (theyll never see this fic tho, so why am i saying this??)
> 
> also! so people have been saying ive been successfully making zelda creepy! yay! that's kinda the goal, but it's not going the best. she'll certainly get the creepiness she deserves, especially with her interesting knowledge she'll soon show. writing zelda and her perspective is incredibly fun, however im soon going to have to shift away from her, and perhaps into a few other botw characters, to see the progress within wild's hyrule in various areas (ie. a viewpoint of Sidon for the domain, or Riju for the gerudo town, and even hestu or the deku tree for the korok forest)
> 
> thank you for reading this chapter (and maybe this), if you see this, please consider leaving a comment (they really are motivators) and kudos, i love seeing them :)


	13. To be a fool is to be ignorant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || "We have no time to mourn." ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im back, hello, with another terrible chapter lmao  
> once again, sorry for any mistakes  
> I hope you enjoy :)

There’s a whisper in the air as he pushes open daunting doors. There’s a crackle of fire, crying out just above the mumble of a whisper. There’s a tangle of smoke, hiding whatever lay just beyond the doors.

As though mourning and remorseful, shadows tug at Four, dragging him past the door and into a heavy house. 

A hand, firm and grounding, rested upon his shoulder, a flicker of a blue scarf fluttering at his side. “We’ll split up. Be prepared for anything.” Warriors mumbled, his scarf wrapping tight across the lower section of his face. 

The hand retracts, and with grace, the captain slips away down into the living room. The others seem to pass by, not wanting to linger at his side, but he’s not entirely sure. His mind seems airy and distressed. 

Stumbling, he lets his shadows tangle with internal monsters, allows them to guide him far and deep. A root of a ruby red persona tugs at his dysfunctional mind, whispers with fragile sincerity, of misplaced hopes, only to be shut down by blazing blue. 

He feels cold.

Until his legs are pushing through smoke, stepping in crisped blood, and reaching the fire of a kettle. Water drowns his shadows, forces them to retreat into unknown areas of their home, and sloshes around violently. 

He wonders, silently, why no sound had begun to resound at the intensity of smoke, but alarms hang lifelessly, shattered beyond belief to make no noise. 

Frowning, he muffles the fire, watches its embers settle into mere ash. His lungs heave, intoxicated by dangerous fumes, and his eyes sting with despair. 

Unable to see far, his eyes wander aimlessly, shifting from walls, to counters, to a fallen kettle, to dried up blood. His stomach churns uncomfortably. Blinking, his knees buckle, his body crumbling to the floor before a piece of him could stop his fall. 

His clothes soak up cold water, brushing over flaked crimson, and allowing shadows to return hesitantly. They dance around his form, try to offer condolences, but they’re mere shadows, unable to cradle him physically. 

His breath shudders, his arms quiver, his shadows tug him away to a reality he’s not ready to face. 

^^^

Twilight knows when his presence isn’t the thing that’s necessary. He knows when something far more comforting is needed, and seeing Four crumbled in his kitchen, he knows he isn’t what Four would prefer. 

Backing away, he slips out of the house, his lungs greedily inhaling fresh air, and shoulders slumping with found guilt. 

Trudging through grass, he forces his way through trees, deeper into dense forests, and beyond to a border of Hyrule. His hands clutch the necklace wrapped snug around his neck, fumbles with the crystal attached, feels the heavy presence of a protective beast unfurling.

It makes his body feel numb, floating and distant. It’s no longer his body, he supposes, as his body seems to creak and crumble into a creature.

Lowing his body close to the floor, padded paws tested out their balance hesitantly, stretching out a body of a monster. The familiar safety of a wolf’s form comforted him as he felt an irritance lingering around his paws, drifting through his senses, but unseeable. 

Around him, the sound of something burning, of something snapping in and out of place like fractured bones, resounds. It set his nerves alight with anxieties, a cautiousness to his prowl through the forest. 

^^^

She frowns, staring at the flickering form of a traitor, their mask remaining stubborn in its place. Pinning them in place stood a young girl, her glare cold like that of an old friend. 

“Traitor scum.” She growled, grip tight with ferocity. 

Zelda leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Take off its mask, leave it vulnerable before us.” She muttered, her frown ever present. 

The girl, Riju, glanced up momentarily before giving a wicked grin at the thought. Her hands did not quiver with fear, but with anger, as she tore off the protective layer guarding the yiga’s confidence. “A traitor to all should be punished accordingly, yes?” She asked, tightening her hold as they began to squirm.

Sidon leaned forward, peering down from across the table. “To be so foolish to interrupt our meeting, what did they think they’d gain?” He asked, tail swishing with idle curiosity. 

Zelda raised a brow, challenging as she stared the traitor down. “Well? Answer his question, before I pry it out of you.” 

“Pry it from me, your majesty!” They sneered, their taunt loud and clear. “You’re a failure to the throne!” 

Teba huffed from his seat, turning his attention from the intruder to the Queen of Hyrule. “What do you plan to do with them?” 

Slamming down her withering lamp, she stood up, making quick strides towards the traitor before crouching to their level. “I’ll make an example of you. A public example. If you force me to take that throne, then I shall take it ruthlessly. I refuse to let you corrupt this world anymore.”

Yunobo frowned, watching them carefully. “An example? Is that-”

“A wonderful idea!” Sidon interrupted, his tail swishing excitedly as he beamed at the woman. 

Riju let out a laugh, stepping over to her seat. “You look like my sandseal there, Sidon!”

“Shouldn’t we just force them to work for you, Queen Zelda?” Yunobo asked hesitantly, drawing circles on the table. 

“The only way it’d be close to me, is if it were on a stake outside the castle walls.” She muttered, gripping its cheeks between her fingers. “I prefer my slaves to be monsters, and my team to be useful.”

“Yunobo has a point. You could use them for information on the Yiga.” Teba voiced.

Humming, she mulled over the thought idly. “Would you tell me whatever I asked for?” 

“Never.”

“Then it’s settled. An example shall be made of you. Should they ask war, then so be it.” 

“Your reign will end once again! King Ganon will rise with your febal defeat!” 

Snapping her fingers, Riju watched as her guards gained access into their meeting room, looking down at the heap of a yiga with disdain. “What are we to do with it?”

“Tie them down. Close by.” 

“Of course, Chief. We’ll remain outside if you need us.” 

^^^

The mask stared tauntingly at him, resting comfortably within the forging room. Urbosa flickered into view, rage sparking off her. “Yiga.” She muttered.

_ ‘You’re back.’ _

“They play with the princess.” 

_ ‘Who? Where?’ _

Mipha forced her way into view, distress evident. “They’ll kill her in the castle.”

“We must protect her- they are your sworn duties, not these heroes.”

Revali pulsated within their soul, distant, most likely within the castle. “It’s not like they’d notice your absence, Link. You mean nothing to them.”

“Revali!” Mipha chastised, tugging at Wild’s arms. 

“They have no ties to you as of right now. There is importance within that castle.”

“Urbosa is right, as awful as it is, and we must leave. They’ll be mourning, you have no time-. We have no time to mourn.” Mipha gritted out, pulling him with her. “For us, for Zelda, save the princess.”

Glancing back, he snatched up the mask, dropping it into his slate as he stumbled over his feet, catching up to Mipha’s incessant tugging. 

“Urbosa! Return to the castle, we’ll be there soon with nothing to slow us down!” 

“Be quick, little voe, or I’ll never forgive you.” 

Huffing, he allowed himself to be tugged out of the room, slipping past Legend’s watchful gaze, past Sky’s wandering attention, past a fearful Four, and out of the guilty home. 

“Link, head up!” Mipha called out, drifting ahead, worry evident in her features. “We have no time to linger!” 

Frowning, he sends one last glance to the house, before letting out a heavy sigh. Of course they have no time, what a ridiculous thought. Forcing his gaze to remain on the ghostly Zora, he gave a firm nod, watching a somber smile cross her soft features. “We’re doing the right thing.” She whispers before turning away, gaze firm on the distant walls of a town. 

“Good thing…” Wild muttered, voice hoarse and pained, but reassuring. 

Chasing after the ghostly girl, he relishes in the small breeze of familiarity brushing past him, of the burn of his lungs, of the freeing feeling off his shoulders.  Her lips are drawn far and wide as she tumbles through grassy fields filled with life. Her form flickers as she drifts further, blotched with darkness, before feeling it seep through her scales, invisible to the eye. 

His legs stumble, burning with stressed muscles, his hands clutching the hood of his cape. Forcing his way through the open area of the village, he pushed his way through forming crowds, Mipha guiding him through. “Just a little further, Link!” She pushed, pulling him up the gravelled path which cried out, trying to drag him under. 

The guards ahead watched him carefully as he barrelled past them, forcing open castle doors and down the halls. 

Revali chuffed, glaring down at the intruding Link. “You sure are slow for a hero.”

“Revali!” Mipha gritted, finally releasing her grip from Link. “Be nice!” She tutted, eyes dancing across the halls. “Where are they?”

“Urbosa and Daruk are protecting the girl in the throne room. I was waiting to escort you both, regretfully.” 

“If you’re only here to complain, then shut up.” Mipha voiced, a glare to her gaze. “Today has been an awfully stressful day, so let’s finish it with a success.” 

Link frowned, fishing out his slate.  _ ‘How many?’.  _

“Just two blademasters.” Revali supplied, peering over at the screen. “Just what are you-”

Holding his hand out, blue emitted from the device, forming a bow to appear in the hero’s hand before he pushed it into the Rito’s grip. 

“You expect me to fight? I’m dead, you buffoon!” 

Rolling his eyes, the hood fell down, allowing blue light to emit across his features. A pair of mismatched, beady eyes glared at Revali, the familiar ferocity of a feral beast playing across his face in the form of a mask. 

A lynel mask.

Mipha gave a smile, nodding her head. “We should be quick, securing Zelda’s safety is always our most important mission.” 

The hum of a monster resounded, two Gerudo scimitar’s appearing in his hands. 

“Is that all you’ll be using? You’re overly confident in yourself.” Revali hummed. 

Mipha accepted a simple spear, and the three made quick haste down the hall, forcing entrance into the throne room. 

“You sure took your time, little voe!” Urbosa called out, her form, physical, flickered in and out of existence. 

“We do apologise for being so late.” Mipha replied, eyes settling onto the two clan members. “It’s just fashionable.” 

Laughing, the Gerudo pulled out her own weapon, charging forwards. “Yes, well you did have Revali with you, so I should have expected some form of hesitancy.” Her form flickered as a sword came crashing down to where she once stood. “Don’t underestimate a dead champion!” She taunted, flashing behind the traitor and slamming the butt of her weapon down onto their neck. 

Growling, Revali drew his bow, pulling back the string as an arrow latched itself comfortably in aim. “Sorry for not being as brash as you, you witch!” 

Daruk sighed, placing a hand on Link’s shoulder. “Ignore them, we’ve to get the girly, yeah?” He motioned over to the passed out princess, gripped tightly within a large man’s hold. “He’s using her as leverage.”

Tilting his head, he twisted the scimitars in his grasp, frowning beneath the mask.  _ ‘A Yiga?’ _

“We think the King made some deal to give her over.”

_ ‘Kill them?’ _

Daruk frowned, shaking his head. “Kill the Yiga? Sure. The King? Get him unconscious. We have to get her, first. And then I’ll protect her.”

_ ‘No longer have your talent.’ _

“Doesn’t mean I can’t protect her! My body is still that of a shield, have hope!” 

Urbosa tutted, slamming the heel of her shoe down on a yiga’s head. “Hurry up you both! I’m sick of seeing these pests everywhere.” 

“We don’t have long staying physical either, Link.” Revali reminded, an arrow piercing an arm.

“We can do this!” 

^^^

Blood smeared itself across his hands, eyes wide at the sight. “It’s not- not fair.” He mumbled, hands cupping cold, lifeless cheeks. “Not fair,” He repeated, eyes burning with teary pressure. “Not fair. Why, why, why?”

Blazing blue tried to pull away from their collective body, desperate to reach out to their only family member. “I don’t wanna see anymore!” Ruby red cried, desperately trying to close their collective silver eyes but failing miserably. 

It wasn’t fair- it wasn’t fair. 

“Four-” A voice muttered, soft and sad, but so very distant. 

It wasn’t fair-.

^^^

Forcing past cluttered trees, he sprinted his way across open fields, desperate to return to the house of doom. 

Sprinting as quick as possible, he narrowly avoided the skeleton creature chasing after him with blue flames. 

His fur flared with anxieties, boned hands crashing past his body in attempts to grasp hold of him. His paws stumbled, forcing him down, crashing into prickled bark of dangers. Hands wrapped around his tail, curious and greedy, as they tugged, wishing for flesh over boned skeletal bodies. Their flames of fire grew, dauntingly close to such vulnerable skin.

Baring his teeth, he tried to pry himself away, but prickled bark clutched onto him, wishing to never let go. 

^^^

“You chose this path of fate, so I shall execute it as grandly as I shall execute you.” 

“You bring war to this land, and so you bring the rise of our king.” 

Gripping the speakers cheeks, Zelda smiled softly. “Your king is dead.” 

Glaring, they thrashed, a low grumble of a growl resounding through the quiet room. “Then you’re ignorant for thinking so.”

“Ignorant?” She asked, grip tightening. “You call me ignorant?” Her smile widened, crazed. “Ignorant is thinking a man of continuous failures is more fit for a throne than a girl who watched countless lives begin and end for over a hundred years. Ignorant is thinking a man will save this land more than I will, for we both have very similar goals, except I will cling to my throne much more than he will.” 

Baring their teeth, they thrashed out of her grip. “Down with the Queen.”

Sighing, Zelda recollected herself, standing up and dusting down her dress. “Worry not, this title of Queen will only last until every last one of you weeds are gone.” She reached down one last time, a hand caressing their cheek. **“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”**

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life sucks, sorry for not updating last week. Any mistakes, i do apologise for, ive been stressed with surgery and school but whatever lmao
> 
> to those who celebrate christmas, i hope you have a wonderful time, to everyone who doesnt or celebrates something else, i hope you all have a lovely day and a happy new year.
> 
> this chapter was a right mess, the continuous flickering between characters, the issues happening everywhere. what a mess. this chapter was originally planned to have gone through everything, an execution, two fight scenes, mourning, switching, and a new zelda reveal, however ive dragged it on just a little bit longer. 
> 
> i love reading everyone's comments, thank you for all of them, theyve been making my days just a tad bit bearable. i dont understand why everyone's binge reading this lmao or how they're finding it, but its nice <3 
> 
> zelda's getting progressively worse, isnt she? im loving doing her scenes however its going to have to come to a close when the next zelda appears, and instead, ill be showing the progress of Riju, the Gerudo Chief :D . admittedly tho, i do love all the comments just talking about zelda and how creepy she is, because trust me, this is only the surface 
> 
> have a lovely week, youre all amazing, i hope you all know that.


	14. An Eye for An Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> || The world cracks just a little bit more. ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've returned,,, whoo  
> Uh yeah, sorry about the disappearance.  
> I'm posting this early, I honestly cant remember when my updating schedule is meant for, and I know i wont post this if not today,,  
> its a pretty bad chapter, in all honesty, so,,, im sorry.  
> sorry for any mistakes

There’s a rush of cold water running down her body, encouraging goosebumps to awaken. She blinks, slowly, as if waiting for something. Wisdom prickles at her mind, twirling through memories upon memories she’d never lived through, watches as men fall and rise, as kings and queens suffer corruption, as people suffer in eternal wars. 

Wisdom rushes through her veins, blessing her with theories and suggestions but they filter by quickly with the water. It leaves her longing; it always leaves her longing. 

Her lips quiver with a royal blue, fingers pruning with time, shoulders weighing heavier than before. For a fleeting moment, her chest sparks to life, the cotton within her vibrating with adrenaline that was not hers. For a fleeting moment, she imagines her knight, fighting for a life she cannot see, watches red blur with blue in a chaotic symphony. 

For a fleeting moment, she stands at her knight's side, hand outstretched to their common foe, and watches as blisters sizzle up their flesh like ivy, bursting with poison, squealing with energy. 

It makes her lips quirk into a soft smile, allows wisdom a final rush through her, before she retreats from the Spring of Wisdom. A bitter cold wraps around her, comfortably. It does not receive any recognition. 

A burst of wind rushes around her, lets her smile as she takes a leap of faith from the mountain, paraglider catching her from crashing and carries her to safety amongst Hateno’s people. There’s freedom with each breath she takes, cold and relieving, a safety from the burning within her soul. 

Purah shifts in her seat as the door bursts open, blonde hair ruffled with life, splotches of darkness caressing a regal dress, catching her attention. “Queen Zelda.” The woman greets with a joyous smile, eyes crinkled with secret age. 

“No formalities!” She chastises, hand raking through her short locks before bounding over to the work table, eyes gleaming with life and knowledge no child should bear. “Will you be visiting Central Hyrule?” Her hands ghost over papers of machinery, of blueprints, and her mind stores it secretly. 

The small woman sighs, head tilting. “For the… Execution?” 

“Yes!” Zelda beams, eyes darting back over to the elder, smile soft and innocent, a contrast to her words. 

“I… Is it the right thing to do? After making peace with Hyrule’s land, is it safe to fight another battle?” Purah feins disinterest, words light and airy, as she returns to scribbling away on blue paper, watching models begin to form. 

The Queen frowns, leaning heavily against the table, eyes narrowing. “Hyrule is my land, a part of me. If I say it’s right, then it’s right. Right?” 

There’s a hiss within her words somewhere.

Purah tries not to let it bother her. Instead, she smiles, weak but kind, as she nods. “Of course. I guess I’ll see you soon, love.” 

Zelda grins, nodding her head happily, like a puppy being told it’s good. “Oh I can’t wait! You’ll see our progress! And you’ll see the relief my people will have!” 

Idly, there’s a question of when it became ‘my’ people, and not ‘our’. 

Purah bites her tongue, and nods. “I visited you a little bit ago, Zel. Don’t tell me you’re already forgetting.” She teases, easing back into relaxation as the blonde laughs carelessly. 

“Not yet, not yet, I’m not that old.” 

“Being over a hundred says otherwise, dear.” 

“Are you calling yourself old, Purah?”

“Hylia no, I’m quite young for a Sheikah.” 

“Uh huh. Impa would say otherwise~”

They laugh, loudly, and for a second they forget their roles within Hyrule, forget their unforgiving fates, and instead ease into roles they were never given. 

Symin wanders into the main room, blinking at the two for but a moment before frowning. Fetching a towel, his hands tremble, the taste of metal infiltrating his mouth. He bit his tongue. 

Passing the towel to the soaked Queen, he offers a tight smile before retreating upstairs. His hands do not stop trembling, even as he closes his room door, even as he listens carefully to the Queen’s goodbye, even as he finds himself slipping. Slipping far, far away from reality, and into thoughts which offer momentary relief. 

His hands do not stop trembling. 

His throat swells with unshed tears of fear, even as he drifts somewhere better, somewhere akin to paradise, somewhere where he doesn’t see the ink crawling across a once innocent girl, leaving corruption in its wake. 

^^^

Twilight bares his teeth like a rabid beast, wild and unhinged, at bones which beg to drag him under soaked soil. He claws at trees which wrap thorns around furred skin, he delves teeth deep within wilting branches. 

There’s a monster thrumming through his veins, wracking at his bones to be let free. He doesn’t let it, because he knows he wouldn’t be able to control its havoc. 

Instead, he careens his neck back, rolling his jaw for a moment. It relieves the tension of his muscles, letting him prepare for a split second. And then he’s snapping his head down, jaw unhinged, teeth bared. 

There’s power with his bite, as it rips through viscous thorns, through vines and branches which retreat with each tear. Bones continue to rattle, no thought for self-preservation when they’re already dead. 

It almost makes him sick with glee. Almost. Instead, he embraces it, lets it rumble loud through his body, as he peels himself away from eager trees from a new dead victim. Instead, there’s an echo of a warning with his growl, before he lunges, like the animal he is. 

He lunges for braindead creatures, listening to the satisfactory crunch of bones beneath his paws. He lunges, saliva dripping from canines, a whisper of bloodlust in the air. 

Thrilling, it is, as he tears apart creature after creature, with no remorse. 

Thrilling, it is, as he remembers a time with an imp, as they paraded around through bloodshed. 

Thrilling, it is, as he loses himself amongst the cacophony he creates. 

And even when they cry a wail for mercy, he parades across skeletal monsters, crushing blue flames of life. He feels like a puppy, playing with toys, wrangling it mercilessly. It gives some satisfaction, to watch his blood drip down on skinless forms, acting as a blanket of comfort for twice-dead monsters. 

A part of him wretches, and wallows in remorse, but amongst his own play for survival, he cannot be heard by the wolf plaguing him. 

^^^

Sky engulfs the distant boy in a hug, hands running through straight locks of hair, whispering comforts in his ear even when they’re not heard. He whispers a prayer, and hopes it reaches someone, anyone. 

His reassurances are left unheard, unspoken, for they’re untruthful. 

He tugs the short boy closer, cheek resting on their head. “It’ll be okay Four…” He mumbles, quietly, unheard, because even Hylia knows when to ignore a blatant lie. “It’ll be okay…” 

^^^

An arrow whizzes by, piercing through muscled skin, nestling itself within an arm. “It’s rude to ignore me. Show some manners.” Revali tutters, another arrow being notched, string drawn back. 

Urbosa captures the Yiga once more, annoyed with how they slipped through her grasp only moments prior. 

“Do keep your hold on it this time, woman.” 

Growling, her hand wraps itself around the back of their neck, heel of her shoe pressing down into the back of their knee. “Oh shut your mouth, bird.” She mutters, pushing them down onto their stomach, watching as the arrow peels further into breaking muscle, worming its way through as they’re pushed flat on the floor. 

They wail, and thrash violently, hands flailing wildly in an attempt to claw her eyes out. 

An arm dislocates, hand wrapping backwards to encase around her neck, pressing deep against her jugular. She wretches for a moment, glare fierce, as she reaches for her scimitar. Her eyes burn, peeled open, airways blocking. 

An arrow bursts between them, lodging into his other arm, snapping it further back as he screams bloody murder. 

She breathes deeply, hand coming down to the back of their head. “Those who touch without permission are revolting, and should never walk amongst others.” She growls, pulling his head back to stare deep within the mask. 

Revali shoots it, watching an arrow wedge through the cracks, watching as it shatters to the ground, watching as wild eyes reveal itself just beneath. Blood trickles from their forehead, eyes rolling back desperately. 

She growls, slamming his head into the ground. Once; his nose resounded with a shatter. Twice; blood splutters through flared nostrils. Thrice; teeth litter the floor, head caving with force. His eyes had long since closed, pulse long since passed. One last time; and she strips him of his loot, blood coating ghosted hands. 

Revali flickers from existence, bow falling to the ground with a clatter. Urbosa had long lost her ability to grasp her sacred weapons. 

Before them, they watch, through ghosted forms, as Mipha screeches. 

She wails, like a banshee, thrusting her trident deep within an injured Yiga. Her eyes are wide, and her chest heaves with pressure. 

She remembers an unseemly death. Her death. And it sends her over the edge, desperate for closure, despite having long since received it. 

The Yiga cackles, regardless, because all he faces is the Zora who loved so deeply she died. He faces a Zora who died over and over, because her body would not stop healing. He faces a Zora who had broke long before her first death. 

And he cackles because he’s lost his will to live, he’s lost his will to return home empty handed, he’s lost his battle. And now, he faces a monster few have faced, and he will die with respect, even if it’s to the hands of a ghost. 

Mipha wails, like a banshee, eyes dazed with a past she wished to forget. She wails with deep rooted agony, as she replays the scene of ice piercing through her for hours, heart stopping and starting. She wails, and wails, and wails as she watches through mechanical eyes of her murderer, watches as she drowns.

And as she drowns, her trident twists through the convulsing body of a Yiga, twists and turns and rips through bloodied flesh. 

And she watches herself die again, and again, and again, because she longed to return to a hero’s side, who had long since died before her. 

But agony replaces her senses, and she stabs and stabs and stabs, because she plays the scene of her murderer slamming her body down on raised pedestals repeatedly, spine cracking, tail limp, mind broken. 

And she repays the pain to a follower of her murderer, because that’s what’s deserved. 

Even when she fades from physical form, she wails, because her pain is replayed, her death, and her father’s death, and one day, Sidon’s death. She wails, because she’s long broken, shattered to pieces as she’s cradled by the woman she admired for so very long.

^^^

Twilight shakes his fur, sprinting through rain, hoping it washes out clotted blood. He sprints, and barrels through a door, padding his way over to the family he’s come to love and protect. 

He shakes his fur free from raindrops, and nudges past the forming crowd, pads past Sky, and leans heavily against Four’s trembling legs. 

It offers support, and comfort, and something grounding, as a hand digs deep into his fur, a face burying itself on his back. 

Blue eyes meet withered hues of Time, and he watches as the man gives a sombre smile. He gives a quiet huff, the rumble vibrating across Four, causing the child to burrow deeper within his fur, shoulders shaking with sobs. 

Sky continues to pet Four’s hair, leaning his head back against the cupboards. Hyrule shuffles closer, the glisten of a green amulet swirling with curiosity. He sinks to the floor, curled close to Sky, reaching out a trembling hand to Four. Their fingers tangle together, a frown to the brunet’s lips. 

Four squeezes, as if begging for reassurance that something, anything, was still alive around him. Hyrule squeezes back, the thrum of his amulet matching his stuttering pulse. It’s almost calming, in its reassurance, in its heavy weight. Almost. 

Behind him, Wind frowns at the amulet, watches it pulsate erratically, watches it with wide eyes. He blinks, slowly, taking in the sight of green. Green like murky waters, green like drowned trees, green like tainted skies, green like the hero, green unlike him. 

Regardless, he slips down, hand pressed heavy onto Wolfie’s back, brows furrowed as he watches Four’s bady wrack with tears. 

They comfort, like family, watching in silence as the boy who’d become so unreadable shattered before their eyes. And in equal parts, so did they. 

^^^

Zelda frowned as she peered out of her window, a wide, yellow eye watching out just above her. It blinked. She blinked. 

Slowly, people filtered out of the comforts of their homes, horses travelling far and in groups, people entering the large expanse of Central Hyrule. Clicking her fingers at her side, a chain rattled, the familiar pitter of a bokoblin’s feet reaching her side filtered through the room. 

Her lips quirked, hand brushing over the creature’s head, feeling it flinch from her grasp for a split second before standing frozen in its position. Clicking her tongue, she frowned once more, eyes narrowing. “I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I?” She asked aloud, ignorant to the twitch of its ear. “This is for the best. For the people. For _my_ people. For the return of my knight’s safety.” 

She reassured herself quietly, feeling the bokoblin retreat away from her, back to its corner in her room. 

A rap of knuckles on her door caught her attention, it light and stuttered. “Your majesty, the grounds have been set.” A voice, soft and far too innocent, called out. It dripped like honey, sweet, and genuine, and so very different from the Queen. 

It made her bare her teeth at the door in petty anger. Huffing, she flattened her dress, painting a smile upon her lips. “Of course! I’ll be out in just a moment!” A grin replaced her calm smile, a bubble of energy erupting through her, a giggle barely contained. 

Execution day.

^^^

Daruk blinked as a third member flickered into the room, weapon drawn immediately, whisking the princess into their arms. Before the traitor lay the failed attempts of two, and they growled and seethed. “Down with the royals, right?” They cackled, leaning down close to Dot. “Down with the royals.” 

^^^

Her hands trembled. Trembled in ecstasy, trembled in euphoria, trembled in absolute glee. Her arms remained behind her back, clutched together as she held a sombre smile. “People of Hyrule, we’ve been used!” She begins. “For all of our existence, we’ve been nothing but food others play with! We’ve been walked over, we’ve been ignored, we’ve been abandoned!” She called out to the people, her voice strong and never wavering. 

^^^

His eyes widened, reaching out desperately for the princess, watching as red flickered through his vision, watching as green eyes peeled open with fear.

^^^

“And yet, these people, no- these monsters, plague our lands! They doom us to fail, to fall victim to a creature who lead us to destruction! They wish to revive such a terrible thing!” 

^^^

A mask leered down at her, and in a way, it was almost ironic, wasn’t it? An eye for an eye…

^^^

“Will you accept this fate they bring to us?!” 

^^^

Wild watched, and watched, uncomprehending. He watched and watched as gloved hands wrapped tight around the princess, watched as tears spilled over a hand muffling her pleads for help.

^^^

“Or will you condemn him to death like the traitor deserves?!” Her voice echoes, and cheers erupt from crowds of people who have long lost their sense of morals, who have lost everything in the name of Ganon. She smiles.

^^^

An eye for an eye.

^^^

Her gaze returns to the Yiga, and he glares with a ferocity that makes her chuckle. “The people have decided.” 

^^^

In desperation, he launches himself forwards, the familiar comfort of Daruk’s shield crafting itself around him, extending far and wide towards the princess who digs her teeth into her capturers hand. The protection wraps itself around her, pushing away the Yiga who screeches with frustration. 

He grasps her, dragging her back, close to the doors, and away from the flickering Yiga. 

Daruk smiles. “Protect her, kiddo!” 

^^^

“Hang him!” 

“Burn him!”

“Stake the traitor!”

“Down with the Yiga!”

“Behead him!”

Their cries are loud and comforting to the Queen as she smiles at the Yiga. She smiles, but there’s nothing behind blank eyes. There’s no recognition as she peers through him. 

^^^

He barrels into the Yiga easily, watches it bend unnaturally before leaping back up, its sword drawn. For as large as the Blademaster is, he’s slow, and Daruk watches with wide eyes as he jumps back. 

The Yiga raises his sword, preparing to slam it down, to send the tidal wave of air after him. 

It makes him grin, the thrill of a fight he’s missed for so long. His muscles crack loudly, before he shrivels up into a ball, a burst of energy propelling him towards the man, forcing him back into castle walls. 

Behind him, Wild shifts the girl onto the floor, watches her consciousness fade away once more. Beneath his skin, there’s a tingle of rage, a tingle of excitement. Some of it’s not his. Some of it’s stolen from the Queen he serves in a very distant future, and momentarily he wonders what she’s doing.

But the sight leaves him wishing he didn’t.

^^^

She smiles. 

He’s tied up, hay bales and logs rise high up his body. “Burn it!” Someone cries out from behind her, and she represses a laugh. She knows he sees it, however, and thrives in the tremble of his legs. 

“Burn it.” She whispers mockingly, lips tilted up cruelly. Fishing out her small blade, she starts the fire, stepping back to watch it ebb away at hay, at moss and sticks and wood and coal. Watches, with vivid fascination, as he lurches forward screaming all hell amongst their lands. 

The world cracks just a little bit more.

^^^

Legend shifts uncomfortably. Wolfie twitches. 

There’s something near. Legend frowns, slipping away from the comforts, and instead outside. The forest groans with pain, with knowledge, with power. 

Legend stares. 

A portal rips through the breeze, rips the land apart, raising high with greed. It swirls with enticing purple, alluring and familiar. 

They’re leaving. 

It seems cruel. 

Four’s cries quieten, muffled into weak sobs. 

The Gods were cruel. 

Legend stares. 

^^^

The Yiga growls, stepping aside, gaze set on the three visible beings. His eyes shift to the two on the floor, before returning to the three. 

“It’s either her, or the King! Your choice!” 

Daruk frowns. “Her or the King?”

“To sacrifice! The man who convinced her to let us through, or the girl who blindly followed!” 

“Neither!”

“Her, or, the King!”

“Neither!”

“Her?”

_‘No.’_

“Then the King it is.” The Yiga chortled a laugh, loud and taunting, echoed as he slipped away from their grasp. 

Mipha shifted to his side, tears tracking down her face, fatigue heavy in her shoulders. “We have to go, Link… We can’t help them anymore.” Her voice is gravelly, tired and drained of everything she was. 

Daruk’s form flickered, the physicality of his body disappearing, leaving him nothing but a ghost. “She’s right. We’ve overstayed our welcome here.”

_‘The King?’_

Urbosa shook her head, guiding them through the halls. “This is his mess now. Not ours.”

_‘Dot?’_

“Leave it alone, Hylian.” Revali crowed, wounds a ghost should never bear stitching itself back together. 

^^^

The Yiga... “Ganon will- Rise! Rise! Like the dawn! Rise!” He cried. “Rise!” He chanted. “Rise!” He pleaded. “Ganon will rise! Beyond-!” There was desperation in his words. “Ganon will succeed!” 

Flames encase him, silencing his screams and curses. 

^^^

In a time so far out of their grasp, a stranger sits, stiff as can be. There’s a singular eye to their face, green and alluring. “Can I help you, stranger?” 

Brown eyes melt into the darkness of the room, peering at the singular eyed person with fascination. “I don’t know, what can you do?”

“You came to me. That gives the idea you’ve an idea of what I can do. I sincerely doubt a God would simply show up at my door without reason.” Their voice is bored, disinterested as the figure walks further into the darkness. “That is, unless, you’re severely bored.” 

A chuckle rings out in the room. “Boredom does cross my mind often, but your kind has never satiated it.”

“Mm.” 

Brown eyes stare into the singular green, far closer than before. If the Gods could breathe, it’d surely mingle together, dancing between their slight distance. “You fascinate me, however.” 

“I wouldn’t know why.”

They lean back, and briefly, within the darkness, the glint of green illuminates the room. It’s brief, but the outline of a formless body engraves itself behind a seeing eye. “Will you help me?” 

“A God asking for help?” The stranger laughs humorlessly, returning back to what they had been doing long before the God appeared. “I’ve no idea what you need or want, but you’re asking the wrong person.”

“I was under the impression you were helping people, am I wrong?” 

“...” 

There’s a smile to their voice. “Perhaps I should seek help from the one you serve, as of right now, hm?”

“Are you that desperate?” 

“You’ve no idea.”

“What do you need help with?”

The God hovers around for a moment before leaning heavily into the stranger, eyes bleeding back into the hollow darkness. “I need to revive a God. And for that, I need a physical form, a vessel. Be my vessel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> life sucks, hope you've all been well. I think this is becoming a reoccurring phrase "life sucks",,,
> 
> We're moving on! Whoo! hopefully i'll gain the energy to keep writing, but my focus has been drifting a lot lately. with school, with a new hyper fixation, and health issues,,, its a new year, tho, did i wish you all a happy new year? i dont remember, but i hope your year has been alright so far. 
> 
> i'd like to quickly explain that time moves differently for botw! Zelda compared to Wild, if you haven't noticed. Days pass by so much quicker while Wild is still going through the night. 
> 
> The fight scene sucked, sorry for that. i zoned out of whatever i wrote for it, and im too afraid of the embarrassment of rereading it, so yeah,,, we shall be meeting a new Zelda soon, as Dot's arc is coming to a close for now. 
> 
> an introduction to two new characters, hm? did you notice anything about them? they're quite odd, right? :) 
> 
> honestly, im just having so much brain rot over the mcyt fandom, that i cant really write what i want to for this,,, thank you for all your support, please feel free to leave a comment and a kudo, if you havent already,,, im not sure when i'll be updating next, honestly, but hopefully soon,,, 
> 
> have a lovely day or not, depending on when you see this (if you see this, that is).


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